Sunday, February 16, 2025
Sunday Reflection: Woe to... me?
From Luke 6:
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
I've read this many times over the course of my life, as I'm sure that many of you have done. And almost always, I held it as a sword, thinking of how it condemns all those people who are richer than me, who are full of good food, who are laughing, and who are spoken well of. I imagined the high and mighty in their powerful perches being brought down while the downtrodden are lifted up, the world flipped over just like the money-changers tables in the Temple.
The truth is this: I'm the one condemned. I am relatively well-off, especially in the global context, I am never hungry, I am almost always happy, and get plenty of praise for what I do. Jesus is talking about me. Ouch.
So, what should I do?
From everything else Jesus taught, it's pretty clear: feed those who don't have good food, try to bring joy to others, empathize and live with those in need, and deflect praise to those who truly deserve it. And I need to do more of all of that.
It's hard when we are the bad guy in the parables, isn't it? But they-- well, we-- are the ones who have the most to learn.
