Jesus Preaches in the Plain, Shutterstock 2004, Kalacha, Kenya.

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And raising his eyes toward his disciples [Jesus] said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.    Luke 6:20.

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These are the Beatitudes, said to be the heart and soul of Jesus’ teachings. So one could say that you can forget all the other teachings and live by these alone (along with, naturally, the Beatitudes listed in Matthew’s gospel). They concern the poor, the hungry, the powerless, the defenseless, the weak, the persecuted, those unjustly treated for whatever reason. And when Jesus says “Blessed are….”, it means God is on their side. It is up to us, therefore, to help them  and ensure that they are safe from all injustice from whatever source, even if we too can be counted among them! Each one of us is obligated by the Lord to bring justice to the poor. It is a tall order, but remember Jesus never flinched from doing his best, with the power of God, to help all who came his way. Matthew’s Beatitudes take place on a mountainside, whereas today’s teachings are on a plain, a level area. One scholar points out that level places in the Old Testament are often the site of suffering, misery, hunger, even corpses! In other words, it is a metaphor for evil and debilitation. (The sermon on the mount in Matthew, on the other hand, represents closeness to God). Consequently the Beatitudes could be considered to be remedies for such evil, but Luke adds the woes to make the point that those who could assist the underprivileged and the suffering and did not are doomed by their own choice. 

Today’s first reading, from Jeremiah, makes the point that we alone, trusting only in ourselves and excluding divine guidance and help are also doomed. And the second reading makes the point that our foundation in Christ rests securely on his conquest of death itself. Without that belief, all is in vain, as Paul says. Hence linking all three readings together it becomes very clear that as we navigate through this life, we are all in extreme need of help. And in that sense, we are expected not only to assist others, but that we too are needy, we too require help when we are hungry, perhaps for assistance, for love, for support. When we weep we need a shoulder to cry on. Are we poor in being truly Christian to those around? Then all the teachings of the beatitudes should come into full force. If not, then the woes will. 

So we Christians are obligated to help others in any and all circumstances, and have a kind of right to be helped when things go wrong for us, both divine help and human help. In that way the whole community becomes truly Christian and demonstrates what Jesus is teaching us today in the gospel. It is not easy, either to offer help or indeed sometimes to receive it. But if we are open to the others around us and can see need and generosity and are able to respond as required by the Lord, then truly the beatitudes make great sense and are true guides towards the Lord. So, as we try to adopt his guidelines outlined today we will truly be Christ to the world in both good and bad times, because the ground on which we stand is true and good, reversing the grim image painted in the Old Testament!

HOPE, Clipgound AI Customizer.

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