Meditations On The Gospel Of Luke For The FamilySample

"MEDITATION 7: The Sermon on the Plain" The verses preceding this passage are a brief summary of Jesus’ activity since he abandoned the desert after his temptation. During this period of time Jesus has fulfilled his ministry, following the guidelines he had proclaimed in the synagogue of Nazareth. “To bring good tidings to the poor” and “recovery of sight to the blind” are but two signs of his broader mission. The entire section of the Gospel until this moment has been a display of the liberating mission of the Servant announced in Isaiah’s reading. He has cured the sick, set free those who were possessed by evil spirits, and has opposed the negative, oppressive understanding of the Law as interpreted by the Pharisees, the teachers and scribes. It is the right time to see for whom he is proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God. And we begin just now to discover that this kingdom entails a radical change of mentality for his followers and those who desire to enter it in the future. Luke had anticipated a glimpse of the consequences of the birth of the Messiah: “He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty” (1:52-53). In the tradition of Israel, the “blessed,” those considered “happy,” were those whose righteousness was rewarded with riches, lands, herds, good health and a good reputation. That is why Job could not understand what was happening to him, a just man. Now, here comes Jesus with a message few can understand. Those preferred in the kingdom, those to whom it is offered, are the poor (or more precisely, the “destitute”), those who suffer from hunger or who are weak, who are rejected or considered outcasts. The opposite happens to those whose abundance and self-satisfaction prevents them from receiving gifts from God. In fact, the rich do not need money, nor do the just need forgiveness, nor do the healthy need to be seen by a doctor. What is the point in Jesus’ message? Just to subvert the old values? To a certain extent, as entering the kingdom implies doing things that common and even righteous people cannot understand: loving one’s enemies!? Yes! Even if that seems illogical, that is the way God deals with sinners. Mercy is, in the end, the key to understanding a God who is merciful and expects his children to act mercifully also. That is the deepest meaning of announcing the Good News of the kingdom of God. Rev. Fr. Mariano Perrón, Roman Catholic priest, Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain