9-Sep-15

Gospel LK 6:20-26
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed 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.
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.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
Reflection:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours."
When speaking of the poor, Jesus says, "the Kingdom of God is yours."
Jesus is not saying it is a blessing to be poor.
Rather, Jesus is telling us whether we are rich or poor, we are all called to be generous of heart.
When we share what we have with those who have less, we become spiritually rich; and blessed in this life.
I have many wealthy friends who tell me the greatest satisfaction they take from their money is the joy they experience in helping others who are not as well off.
My friend Ed, who is single and makes a good living, occasionally slips money into my hand and says, "Jim, please pass this on to someone who needs help."
I also know many people we serve who sacrifice for the sake of those that have less than themselves.
"Madeline," a Haitian woman to whom we deliver food, collects clothes which she ships to a charity in Haiti.
Rich or poor, those who share what they have are "blessed" experiencing the "Kingdom of God" in their lives in the here and now.

"The most obvious lesson in Christ’s teaching is that there is no happiness in having or getting anything, but only in giving." ~ Henry Drummond