Deacon Bridgid Waszczak
“He… stood on a level place… and a… multitude… came to hear him… to be healed… [and] sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
[Jesus] said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you and…exclude… revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice… and leap for joy, for… your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”
—Luke 6:17-23
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
If these verses sound familiar but shorter than you recall, you’re correct. Luke’s text repeats “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matt 5-7). His is called “The Sermon on the Plain” (Jesus “stood on a level place”).
Scholars believe these sermons were offered on separate occasions. First-century preachers, like Jesus, often repeated the same message to different crowds. Jews called preaching charaz, meaning stringing beads—one bead at a time, again and again. Rabbis believed preachers shouldn’t linger more than a moment on a topic to keep the crowd’s attention, hence, the shorter Lukan version.
As in Matthew, Jesus declares the poor, hungry, weeping, and hated “blessed.” He presents blessed in the present tense, not “Blessed shall be,” but “Blessed are.” And Jesus added the hopeful word now.
Imagining those He cites as physically poor, hungry, weeping, or hated is easy. Jesus, however, meant them as spiritual deficits—poor in spirit, hungry for justice, weeping over loss of love, or hated because of their faith in Jesus.
Poor in spirit is depending upon our own spiritual resources rather than being open to receive what God provides. Physically hungry persons focus on food; spiritual seekers must focus on being hungry for God’s justice with the same energy a runner wants water at the end of a race; pursuing a life pleasing to God rather than worldly success. Grieving and acknowledging the emaciated state of our spiritual life lets us rejoice when God forgives and makes things right between us. Lastly, when we’re hated for following Jesus, for our faith, we’re in the good company of God’s prophets who were also rejected and persecuted but loved by God.
I have been poor in spirit—not as open to God’s grace as I should be; most decidedly hungry for justice and sometimes chased worldly success; grieved the loss of love (feeling God abandoned me); and rejected for my faith—faith not aligned with others’ faith. Have you experienced any of these deficits during your spiritual journey? I’d be surprised if you answered no. (Let’s talk!)
Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain should speak to all of us at some point on our paths. That’s why He addressed his message to the entire multitude, not just a few. He healed their physical ailments and their spiritual inadequacies. May He continue to heal ours like charaz—again and again.
May you always be blessed…
—Deacon Brigid
