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Gospel: Luke 6: 20-26
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Blessed are the poor… the hungry… the weeping… and those who are hated because of my name… Your reward will be great in heaven.”
While that’s good news for those who are suffering around the world – particularly because of their faith – what about the rest of us?
What about those of us gathered here this morning?
How are we to be “blessed” in Jesus’ eyes?
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Perhaps we can turn to Matthew’s version of this Gospel passage, also known as the Beatitudes. Instead of calling the “poor” blessed, Matthew says, “blessed are the poor in spirit.”
To be “poor in spirit” means to, “know your need for God.”
Blessed are those who know their need for God.
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We gather here every morning because we know our need for God.
We turn to him when life gets heavy.
We turn to him after the loss of a loved one.
We offer him our needs, bundled up with our love and praise.
We ask God for guidance in prayer and try our best to please him.
“Blessed are you,” Jesus says, for bringing God into the picture; for living a life of “we,” not just “me.”
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How can I show the Lord I need him, I’m “poor in spirit,” today?
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Image credits: (1) Bible Love Notes (2) Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls (3) Interrupting the Silence