Reflection for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2025

Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26

“Blessed are you who are poor….”

“The gifted writer St. Luke helps us see some thought-provoking contrasts in chapter 6 of today’s Gospel reading.

Jesus the Master had just chosen the twelve apostles from among his faithful disciples, after praying all night on the mountainside.  They must have joyfully descended to the level ground where Jesus the Divine Physician then ministered to many people from Judea and the northern cities.  He cured many of their diseases and cast out demons.   Burdens were lifted from many suffering people who had traveled to see Jesus from distant places.

On the other hand, as they descended the mountain, the fledgling twelve Apostles, as happy as they were to be specially chosen by Our Lord, must have wondered what would be their new burdens. 

In Jesus’ next words in the Gospel, standing on the plain, he draws a sharp contrast between four beatitudes and four woes that will happen, resulting from how each person conducts his life.  His words were counter-cultural at the time (and even now) and one could even say they are counter-intuitive.

Jesus pinpoints some harsh situations that could be true of anyone’s life.  The striking thing is that in this teaching, He reverses the normal idea of how people react to what we would call challenges.  Instead of offering sympathy, Jesus seems to praise those who have problems – the poor, hungry, weeping, and despised.  “Blessed are they!” 

Jesus predicts future recompense: the hungry will be satisfied, the weeping will laugh, the persecuted will have a reward in heaven.  Even sharper than those contrasts, those who seem to be materially blessed now will have sorrows later. 

Our Lord asks us to look at life differently, very differently from the norm.  Are we willing to do that?

Let us ask Jesus to help us to see our lives through His eyes so we will embrace whatever happens to us.   If we, too, are faithful as the apostles were, we can hope to hear, Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.