Sermon on the Plain

Today's Reflections

Sermon on the Plain 

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Lk 6:20-26

²⁰Raising his eyes toward his disciples, [Jesus] said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for the kingdom of God is yours.

²¹Blessed are you who are now hungry,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who are now weeping,

for you will laugh.

²²Blessed are you when people hate you,

and when they exclude and insult you,

and denounce your name as evil

on account of the Son of Man.

²³“Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

²⁴But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

²⁵But woe to you who are filled now,

for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will grieve and weep.

²⁶Woe to you when all speak well of you,

for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

Reflection:

Woe to you who are rich. Why does Jesus pronounce “woe” to the rich, those who are filled now, those who laugh now, and those who are well-spoken of? It is because their hearts are far from God. Riches can make a person feel self-sufficient, secured, and having no need for God. A spirit of arrogance can come in, and likewise a false sense of superiority. The rich may take wealth as the ultimate source of fun, laughter, enjoyment. Wealth can induce them to lies, flatteries, and bragging.

Thus woe is reserved for those who are very much preoccupied with material things, forgetting the needs of their souls. Woe is to those blinded by material comforts that they do not pay attention to the words and will of God. Woe is for those who no longer hope for God’s providence and intervention.

Do you treat your blessings as reasons

for self-enjoyment or as gifts entrusted to you

for the service of others?