Our
readings today talk about the details of Christian life. St.
Luke’s simpler, less-polished version of the “Beatitudes” have as their closing
emphasis a series of “woes,” after listing some of what St. Matthew tells his
listeners in his mountainside version. The point is that those who live
according to the world – especially at the time, the pagan Roman world of
excesses and debauchery – would be excluded from the ranks of members of God’s
family: the rich, the “filled now” with
all kinds of satisfactions and delights, the laughing and the mindless
babblings of conscience-less people, the well-spoken of and lauded for earthly
prestige – these would be hard-pressed to find entrance into a realm that
is anything but earthly;
but
those who lived instead (even here below) the rigors of membership in a
heavenly Kingdom, guided by supernatural forces would embrace being poor in spirit, hungry for the truth,
weeping for sinfulness, and hated for the sake of right-living according to
God’s laws: God, the maker of all law and justice.
St. Paul in the first reading
contributes to this lesson today of right living for the true Christian: put to death in you those parts which are
earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed: stop lying to
one another: put away anger, fury, malice, slander and obscene language from
your mouths. Put on the new self that you received in baptism, the self that is
made in the image of the creator – renew your sonship in God. Be a loving
and responsible child of God and you will be richly rewarded and have nothing
to fear on the Day of Judgment.
Rejoice
and leap for joy when you are persecuted for the sake of Christ; your reward
will be great in heaven.
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