Francis Gayang csc –
Readings: 1 Cor 7:25-31; Lk 6:20-26
The poor are blessed for recognizing their need for God, also including those who understand and realize that no wealth will ever be enough without God. The gospel passage of the day
communicates the message that we must work and invest ourselves in things that will pay us everlasting life. It inspires us to live a life of detachment, away from the false promises of this world and liberate ourselves from the gimmicks of a false spirit.
Jesus pronounces ‘woe’ to those who turn a deaf ear to his teachings. The word ‘woe’ means grief, anguish, affliction, wretchedness, calamity, or trouble. It is also used as a word of
judgement on others. Here Jesus used the word ‘woe’ not to condemn those who have plenty of resources but rather to bring to our consciousness that what we have cannot buy us a ticket to the next life. In the book of Proverb (23: 29-30) we read that the woeful condition is a natural result of foolish choices. The message we are to encrypt in our hearts is that only God’s love last forever.
The challenge of this passage is as stated by Barclay, “will you be happy in the world’s away, or in Christ’s away.” Jesus in the passage draws a clear line between two groups of people. Here, I am asked to identify the group which I belonged to. He gives me the freedom not only to choose but also to choose good because away from him is away from life.