You may have noticed that Lent begins a bit later this year – Ash Wednesday is not until March 6! Because of that, we have a longer than usual Ordinary Time before Lent begins. That means we get some lectionary readings from Luke that we do not always have the opportunity to reflect on in this time of the Liturgical year. This weekend, we hear Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. While we are very used to Matthew’s version delivered on the Sermon on the Mount, Luke makes a point to announce that Jesus is delivering this teaching on the plain! We can see right off in Luke’s Gospel how Jesus is very much portrayed as someone with the people, in the midst of the chaos of the great crowds of people desiring healing.
Something else different in Luke’s version of the Beatitudes are the “woes.” The “blessings” are very similar to Matthew’s and show again how the poor will gain the kingdom of God, the hungry satisfied, those weeping will laugh. But Luke adds the “woes” – woe to you who are rich now, who are not hungry, who laugh. The beautiful blessings of fulfillment for those who suffer are tapered in Luke’s Gospel with warnings to those who are already satisfied. Again, we see a main theme in Luke early on here… that the blessings of God are abundant and available to all, yet the demands of discipleship are to be taken seriously.
Our first reading from the prophet Jeremiah also follows this pattern of blessings and woes. Woe to the one who only trusts in human beings and whose heart is turned away from God. Yet, blessed is the one who trusts and hopes in the Lord. Having coordinated the RCIA process for many years, I have the privilege of sharing in adults’ conversion stories and coming to faith later in their lives. Often, people have the experience of a profound moment, in the midst of long work hours often, a realization that there has to more to life, and that they are missing it. This deep recognition often fuels a desperate search for faith that leads them to our Catholic community. Their experience reminds me of Jeremiah’s passage.
Both readings urge us to a new level of consciousness in our daily lives. We are pulled to a consciousness that has us recognize when our good fortune may turn us away from that which really matters, a consciousness that helps us recognize those in need and reach out to help them. As we continue to reflect together on our readings, may our consciousness be piqued towards that which will bring us to the blessings of God.