Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Jude Thaddeus, Naga City | v.4, n7 | issn 2599-5030 | 17 to 23 February 2019
HAPPY ARE THE POOR!
W
hen confronted of a choice to do good or bad, most Christians refer to the moral demands of the Ten commandments or the Decalogue. Indeed, the The commandments wrought by Moses is the central moral teaching of the Old Testament which has run vibrant even until today where we live in the New Testament era. Little that many Christians are aware that there is the central moral teaching in the New Testament wrought by Jesus— the New Moses. Popularly this central moral teaching of Jesus is summed up in St. Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (see Mt 5-7) which is opened up by the 8 beatitudes. In this 6th Sunday Ordinary time, the Gospel is Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:17.20-26) which contains the 4 Beatitudes and followed by the 4 woes. if you are poor, then the “Kingdom of God is A beatitude is a good wish for yours.” This beatitude urges us not to depend happiness just as a blessing is. “Blessed are so much on our properties, not on our own you who are poor” (Lk 6:20) astonishingly human resources not so much on our own may be translated to “Happy are you who skills and capacities but to depend more on are poor” or “You are blessed or God so that we can reap the bliss of heaven— happy if you are poor.” Can there the supreme happiness. be happiness in being poor? In the SUNDAY “Blessed are you who are now Philippines today, as a developing REFLECTION hungry, for you will be satisfied” 3rd world country, more people (Lk 6:21). This next beatitude presuppose that are struggling to liberate we hunger for things which we have themselves from the conditions of poverty previously tasted already. Happy shall we be and nobody works in pursuit of poverty if we consistently hunger for righteousness but of affluence instead. because in the end we shall surely experience What is this poverty that Jesus talks that sense of fulfillment or that sense of about? In the economic point of view, satisfaction since it is only God who can fully poverty is that state where resources are satiate all our desires. scarce. When a person is poor he/she needs In the next beatitude: “Blessed are you another person to depend on. Moreover, who are now weeping . . .” (Lk 6:21), seems to when a person is poor, he or she seems to be be unthinkable. Who would believe that helpless and would not be able to achieve weeping can lead anyone to happiness and more or none at all. The state of poverty is eventually to laughter? But what Jesus meant something which is not desirable to any here is: Happy are we if we weep in despising normal being yet Jesus offers poverty as a HAPPY ARE THE POOR! / next page source of joy because there is a promise that
giya sa prayer meeting
lukas 6:27-38
Domingo 7, Ordinaryong Panahon, Taon C
“K
amùtan nindo an saindong mga kaiwal…” Madali an pagbalos nin karahayan. Natural ini sa satong pagkatawo. Dakulang tabang ini sa pagpabakli kan mga tawong ingrato, na tatao sanang mag-ako nin regalo, pero dai tataong LECTIO magpadyos mabalos. DIVINA Bakong natural sa tawo na mamuot sa kaiwal. Alagad ini an sugo ni Jesus. Dai nya kita sinasadol na mamuot gamit an pagmati, kundi mamuot sa gibo. An pagpatawad, pagpamibi, pagtukdo, pagparehab—gabos kongkretong aksyon nin pagmuot sa kaiwal. Anong gawi nin pagkamuot an ipinahiling ko sa sakong kaiwal?
“Gibuhon nindo sa iba an buot nindong gibuhon ninda saindo.” An mga pilosopo nagsasabi na an habo nindong gibuhon sa sadiri, dai man nindo gibuhon sa iba. Alagad, mas pinahiwas ni Jesus an katukduan na ini. Ata ngani, dai sana kita magibo nin karahayan tanganing kita baluson man nin karahayan, kundi na dapat kitang maggibo nin marhay sa iba (susog sa gusto tang gibuhon ninda sa sato) dawa pa dai ninda gibuhon an parehong karahayan sa sato. Anong karahayan an ginibo ko sa kapwa na ginibo man sako o dai ginibo?
“Magtao kamo asin kamo tatàwan…” Kamàwutan ni Jesus na mauntok an baralusan nin karàtan kundi baralusan nin karahayan. Sa karahayan sana mapapauntok an gabos na klase nin byolensya sa kinàban. Siring kaini an kultura nin pagigin maimot. Mahahali sana ini kun kita magtaong paarog nin pagigin matinao kan satong sadiri, kakayahan asin kayaman para sa kahadian kan Dyos. Ano an buot kong itao sa Dyos asin sa kapwa? 4