Luke 6, 17.20-26:
Sunday, 13th February 2022 (6TH T O C)
Today the Gospel presents us with the Lord, again teaching the crowds who had come from different places. In his teachings he makes it very clear to us what the criteria of life must be to be his disciple. And as is often the case, these criteria do not agree much with those of the people who listened to him, nor with our own. His words can produce bewilderment and contradiction. He is not speaking of “another world”, but of ours, in which there are people who have no qualms about enriching or gratifying themselves at the expense of others, and while the former laugh, the latter weep. In our world we congratulate the rich, the successful and those who are applauded by all.
Jesus is denouncing this way of life when he proclaims the beatitudes. He tells us that this is not God’s plan for humanity. That true happiness is not to be found in putting our trust in material things and in our own satisfaction, but in our concern for others out of our trust in God.
Being a follower of Jesus is not easy. Not everyone understands it. It is not just about being baptised or saying a few prayers, but about believing in him, trusting his word and following his way of life, even if it seems difficult to us.
Jeremiah also reminds us in harsh words in the first reading: “cursed is the man who trusts in man and turns his heart away from the Lord”. Jesus points us to a more definitive happiness than the fleeting ones this world offers us.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
Do you understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus?
