This is the original article that I submitted for In His Steps, the daily prayer guide of the members of Couples for Christ and its ministries. My initial attempt at writing for In His Steps appears in the Sept. 12, 2012 issue.
LUKE
6:20-26
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And raising his eyes
toward his disciples he said: “Blessed
are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you
will be satisfied. Blessed are you who
are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and denounce your name as evil on
account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and
leap for joy on that day! Behold, your
reward will be great in heaven. For
their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have
received your consolation. But woe to
you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for
their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
Jesus
Christ has always been the champion of the poor, the downtrodden and the
oppressed. At the time this gospel was
written, there was no middle class to speak of that would bridge the elite
class and the poor. The elite had
everything including access to the churches but the poor had practically nothing.
Fast
forward to the 21st century and although there is already a middle
class, the elite still owns almost everything while the poor still suffer. Look
around and the great divide is still evident.
Though
it is not a sin to be rich and endowed, sharing of resources to the poor is expected
of us. Sharing could be in the form of
giving them equal opportunities and opening doors for them to uplift them
from their present predicament.
This
gospel is about hope. Jesus is
assuring us that there is something better to look up to in His kingdom. Whatever suffering we have endured or are enduring
on earth will be rewarded in the afterlife.
Heaven is one great equalizer: both
rich and poor have equal chances of entering His gate.
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