My Dear People, 

Today we have the famous speech—the “Sermon On The Plain.” This is little different from Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” Matthew was writing for the Jewish Christians, who understood that the meaning of  “mountain” was a special place where God is revealed. Luke’s  “sermon on the plain” does not take this into account because he was writing to the Gentile Christians.

There are differences between Luke and Matthew, probably because Jesus preached this “sermon” several times. There may have been a difference depending on the audiences, the locality, and the time for preaching. And, of course, there is also a difference in the way they were recorded by different authors.

Luke places this sermon on the plain shortly after Christ’s choosing of the Twelve. On this occasion, Jesus teaches that those who experience poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution in this life for the sake of the “Son of Man”—who is Jesus Himself—should rejoice greatly because these afflictions are a sign they are headed in the right direction and will receive their just reward “in heaven.” On the contrary, those who live lives of wealth, indulgence, and popularity ought to be very concerned about their eternal salvation because these are signs of external happiness often accompanied by false prophets and other “fakers” in salvation history. 

Jesus’s words are indeed very sobering for those of us who have enjoyed a measure of external “success” in the world. Jesus is saying that externals are often deceptive—the truly blessed are those who appear cursed, but those who appear blessed are in danger of being cursed. So, we need to redefine “success” and re-evaluate what we celebrate and what we bemoan. Typically, we fall into the common pattern of the world, bemoaning any hardships we face and envying those we perceive as externally prosperous. The readings of this Mass are specifically calling us to do an examination of conscience! 

Could the measure of success or prosperity I enjoy actually be due to the fact that I do not publicly identify with Jesus but simply act and speak like the rest of the world?

On the other hand, could the sorrow and afflictions I endure actually be signs of God’s love and the reward He has in store for me in the life to come?

Do I fall into the trap of evaluating my life and the lives of others based on material goods and other physical signs of health and prosperity?

Finally, am I a man or woman who trusts in the Lord, who delights in His law, and who meditates on His Word day and night?  If not, whom am I trusting? 

Today we have reached wealth and live in a lifestyle that years ago only kings enjoyed. It is easy to take for granted what we have as commonplace. We may think this scripture passage of woes of the rich may not apply to us. For that reason, we need to reflect on these questions often and check our attitude, so that we can benefit from the purpose of this teaching by Luke. 

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Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente