St. Luke 6: 12 – 26

July 1, 2022

12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,

16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

We need some insight into these verses that sound so familiar to us, and yet, are not. Using the St. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, here is a flashlight beam to help us understand: “This is referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, similar to Matthew’s longer ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Matt 5-7) (*** the above verses are just what is required reading for today’s morning prayer – there are many more verses to this chapter of St. Luke – me) Both begin with Beatitudes, both advocate love of enemies, and both end with the parable of two builders. The sermon encapsulates the high moral standards of the New Covenant.”

In regard to verses 20-26, the Study Bible shares this information: “The Beatitudes stand opposite the covenant curses or Woes (6:24-26; Deut. 30:19-20). Jesus envisions the conditions of this life being overturned in the next, where the blessed can expect their present suffering to give way to future peace, and the prosperous can expect divine curses IF (my emphasis) IF wealth and notoriety have smothered their love for God.”

God. First, last, and always. Amen.

Advertisement