Luke 6: 20-26
Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
‘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.
‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Deep Inner Consolation
Poor, hungry, weeping, hated. Who would pick these things over peace, joy, wealth, and fortune? It is easy to confuse the experience of peace and contentment with following God’s plan. I can experience laughter, a full belly, and security in life, while ignoring the neighbor who faces discrimination and hardship. I move throughout my day-to-day motions of life, not really recognizing where Christ has appeared as the meek and lowly.
Sometimes God’s call, or the sense of deep inner consolation, comes from hearing the challenging and difficult invitations from God. The hardest for me is to bear those who speak ill of me and those I love. “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” When the external feedback is positive—likes on social media, revering the creative and outside the box work—the work of the Lord is easy. When I stand alongside the vulnerable or the misunderstood, I enter into their pain and discomfort and feel it for myself. In moments of true consolation, I see the genuine needs of others more clearly and my attention is directed away from self-pity and despair.
—Jen Coito blogs on family life and Ignatian Spirituality for Christus Ministries and Ignatian Ministries. Her website chronicles the humor and joys God reveals in everyday living.
Prayer
The goal of our life is to live with God forever. God, who loves us, gave us life. Our own response of love allows God’s life to flow into us without limit.
All the things in this world are gifts of God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily. As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they help us develop as loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal.
In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.
Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening his life in me.
—First Principle and Foundation, translated by David Fleming, SJ
Pray with the Pope
The Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intentions Brought to you by Apostleship of Prayer the first Friday of each month.