6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C - 13/2/2022 - Gospel: Lk 6: 17. 20-26
True Value
We see the same thing, but each person sees it differently. This explains the differences, not in substance but in the details, about Jesus' teaching on the Beatitudes between the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The former had a long version and was on the hill; the latter was short and was on level ground.
From St Luke's perspective, Jesus came to the ground level to meet His disciples. Jesus shared our human misery and pain before redeeming us. Jesus told His disciples not to lose hope in God's love and mercy. As we say, 'no pain, no gain'; this dictum is true of both our physical life and our spiritual journey. Everlasting happiness comes, not before, but after trials and pain. When God created the world, God wanted the human race to have a happy life, a life full of joy and happiness. God gave us the freedom to choose. We chose to do not God's will, but our own. Due to the deception of sin, we humans made two fatal mistakes. First, we created a division, separating humanity into ruling and serving class. Second, we fell deeper into human's misery by allowing personal ambition to dominate our decision making, which caused the inequality of the world's resources. The poor, hungry and mourning suffered not because the world's resources could not sustain us all, but by the disproportionate distribution of the world's resources. By allowing human ambition to rule, a handful of people accumulate two-thirds of the entire world's wealth; while the majority of us share the leftovers and have little to save, and many struggled daily to make ends meet. This reality makes the world a poor place.
Things such as poverty and hunger; weeping and persecution appear to be bad and miserable. However, Jesus told us, that these states of life would last just for some time, and that one day they would disappear. When the time came, what the world considered as the ' state of the unfortunate', would turn out to be the states of the fortunate, of the blessed. Jesus asked His disciples not to lose hope, but to see ahead because a bright future was on the horizon. No matter how clever humankind's way, only God's way has the power to change human misery into the source of joy, and of eternal everlasting happiness.
Jesus' teaching became the source of wisdom and hope. Humanity's power inflicts pain on many but it has no final word. God's goodness is on the horizon. The Good News of Jesus was for the poor, and the majority of the world population was poor. They learnt that God's love and mercy were unlimited. God would not discriminate against anyone who would like to follow God's way.
Jesus told His disciples that world's materials was in a state of flux. What one owns today, will be someone else's tomorrow. Happiness, richness, and laughter derived from world's materials share the same fate. These qualities of life belong to the world. That which belongs to the world, remains in the world. That which belongs to God finally returns to God. That which belongs to God's kingdom is not of world's materials we accumulate, but services we provide for others. Whatever we give that lightens life's heavy burden, they are valuable in God's eyes. They are the things that last forever. They are the things Jesus' disciples bring with them when they come to see God face to face. By giving, the donor may be poorer in materials but richer in love, in spirituality.
The challenge of the Beatitudes is choosing God's will, not ours. Choosing God's will means choosing a life of service, of providing assistance, when we can, to those in need, to promote and support life. Choosing God's will means to live in hope. Choosing to follow our will means to live for oneself, regardless of others' needs. Choosing to follow our will means to say no to God's invitation to follow. Without God, life has no true meaning
From St Luke's perspective, Jesus came to the ground level to meet His disciples. Jesus shared our human misery and pain before redeeming us. Jesus told His disciples not to lose hope in God's love and mercy. As we say, 'no pain, no gain'; this dictum is true of both our physical life and our spiritual journey. Everlasting happiness comes, not before, but after trials and pain. When God created the world, God wanted the human race to have a happy life, a life full of joy and happiness. God gave us the freedom to choose. We chose to do not God's will, but our own. Due to the deception of sin, we humans made two fatal mistakes. First, we created a division, separating humanity into ruling and serving class. Second, we fell deeper into human's misery by allowing personal ambition to dominate our decision making, which caused the inequality of the world's resources. The poor, hungry and mourning suffered not because the world's resources could not sustain us all, but by the disproportionate distribution of the world's resources. By allowing human ambition to rule, a handful of people accumulate two-thirds of the entire world's wealth; while the majority of us share the leftovers and have little to save, and many struggled daily to make ends meet. This reality makes the world a poor place.
Things such as poverty and hunger; weeping and persecution appear to be bad and miserable. However, Jesus told us, that these states of life would last just for some time, and that one day they would disappear. When the time came, what the world considered as the ' state of the unfortunate', would turn out to be the states of the fortunate, of the blessed. Jesus asked His disciples not to lose hope, but to see ahead because a bright future was on the horizon. No matter how clever humankind's way, only God's way has the power to change human misery into the source of joy, and of eternal everlasting happiness.
Jesus' teaching became the source of wisdom and hope. Humanity's power inflicts pain on many but it has no final word. God's goodness is on the horizon. The Good News of Jesus was for the poor, and the majority of the world population was poor. They learnt that God's love and mercy were unlimited. God would not discriminate against anyone who would like to follow God's way.
Jesus told His disciples that world's materials was in a state of flux. What one owns today, will be someone else's tomorrow. Happiness, richness, and laughter derived from world's materials share the same fate. These qualities of life belong to the world. That which belongs to the world, remains in the world. That which belongs to God finally returns to God. That which belongs to God's kingdom is not of world's materials we accumulate, but services we provide for others. Whatever we give that lightens life's heavy burden, they are valuable in God's eyes. They are the things that last forever. They are the things Jesus' disciples bring with them when they come to see God face to face. By giving, the donor may be poorer in materials but richer in love, in spirituality.
The challenge of the Beatitudes is choosing God's will, not ours. Choosing God's will means choosing a life of service, of providing assistance, when we can, to those in need, to promote and support life. Choosing God's will means to live in hope. Choosing to follow our will means to live for oneself, regardless of others' needs. Choosing to follow our will means to say no to God's invitation to follow. Without God, life has no true meaning
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
