Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C - Gospel Reflection
Unlike Matthew’s
account, Jesus’ sermon in today’s Gospel takes place on a plain rather than on mountain,
but the geographical setting makes no significant difference to the depth of
truth in His words. Furthermore, Luke recounts this sermon in second person, in
comparison to Matthew’s use of third person, making it sound a little more
direct. Regardless, this variance does not change what the Evangelists were
trying to convey.
The Beatitudes, which we hear about
today, are Christ’s teachings on the key to happiness. They are a guide to the
eternal life that Jesus desires us all to share in, and He lays it out simply
for us. In contrast to His teachings that He shares with us through parables,
in which we are able to meditate on and can apply to the changing seasons of
our lives, Jesus teaches the Beatitudes without the use of analogy. They always
speak to us in the same language and reveal their truth in a straightforward
manner. The pathway to the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the destination of all
peoples, is not a maze, it is a road that does not need analogies for us to
comprehend the direction. Rather, it is one that can be walked by all - it is
one that is meant to be walked by all!
By virtue of the Beatitudes, Christ calls us to holiness, to Christian perfection, and to a sure hope in His promises of the joys of the life to come. He tells us many times to renounce and look beyond the things of the world, but in this teaching, He describes the means of attaining this. It would be hard to focus on each Beatitude individually in a concise fashion, so we’ll just take a look at the first one, and perhaps revisit the rest in the future.
The first beatitude, encompassing the others in a sense, is the call to poverty, not so much in material things as in spirit. In order to understand this, and the other beatitudes, it is important to keep in mind that though the world was made for us, we were not made for the world. All things come to pass, so we must not hold them to such high esteem; a common temptation into which we fall. To attain the joys of living in the presence and vision of God in Heaven, we must acknowledge that this is the wealth that we are heirs to and that all riches that the world offers us will only prove to be emptiness in the end. We do not offend God merely by owning many things. The poverty He proposes to us is that we do not become attached to these things. Although we own them, we must treat them in such a way that we would not be at any loss whatsoever if those things were taken away from us, and that we are more than willing to share these things with the less fortunate. God gives all things as He sees fit for us to receive, so we must be content and trust that He knows what is for our own good. This does not only refer to material goods, but spiritual goods as well, and this is the poverty that Jesus directs us to. Through this poverty of spirit, we can begin to participate in the joys of heaven, though not yet to perfection, while walking the path of our lives on earth, amidst the many trials and difficulties that we face each day. In following the Beatitudes, and indeed, all of Christ’s teachings, we can walk this path with our gaze set on Him, Who is the Light along our way.
One last thing to point out is that Luke says blessed are “you,” instead of “they.” Yes, YOU! These instructions that Christ gives are not just for those few people we know or have heard of who have integrated this way of life into their very being. This path to Heaven is not just for “they,” but also for “you,” as Luke reminds us. It is a universal call that Christ is making to us, and it is not something we have to do on our own. He knows the weakness of our nature (remember, He took it on and conquered it Himself!), so He gives us these simple instructions, which we would never have figured out on our own, and aids us along the way by grace.
Let us always keep our heart, mind, and soul firmly set on God, Who reveals Himself through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit! Then we will be able to soar to the heights of love and perfection which our gracious God offers to us through and in Himself.
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