In the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 6:17, 20-26, Jesus spoke to the people of Judea and Jerusalem and spoke about Blessed be the poor, the hungry, the sad and the hated and woe or great sadness to the rich, the full, the happy and those who speak well of you. WAIT…….what does Jesus mean by this. Sometimes, the teachings of Jesus may sound like the opposite of what society may tell us. Is being wealthy or successful a bad thing? Will we benefit more from Jesus if we’re poor? It may sound confusing but when society mentions the rich and the poor, we usually refer to how much money someone has. What if we think of it in terms of knowledge or education. Someone can be poor or hungry for knowledge and someone else may be full and rich with knowledge. Now think of it in the sense of a person having something that another person want’s.
Think about it and then ask yourself: What does Jesus ask of us? He asks us to be of service to others. So does that mean if I have money, I should just give it away? No, that’s not what it means! Is it bad if I’m financially wealthy and successful? No it’s not, what’s bad about being financially wealthy and successful is when you keep it to yourself, and when you use others to get ahead for your own personal gain. That’s not being of service to others, it’s being of service to yourself.
What Jesus is teaching us to do is show someone how. You can help someone more by teaching them rather than just giving them whatever they want. Don’t keep the knowledge to yourself. Share it, teach it. Be that person who picks up those who are down, lifts up, and motivates others to be better. Jesus isn’t asking us to give everything, but just to give something. Be the hope for those who may not see it. Simple tasks like even being there when someone is lonely or sad or being that person to talk to or someone to listen to. It doesn’t take much and best of all, it doesn’t cost us anything. It’s the goodness and gifts that Jesus felt he needed to teach us.
Readings at
USCCB.org Living the Word resource
First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm: 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Gospel: Luke 6:17, 20-26
