I always use the weeks preceding Easter as a time to examine where I am in my faith journey.  I try to take consistent time to examine my everyday life, look for ways to deepen my relationship with the Lord, and to strive to live the life I am expected to as Christian.  That seems like a tall order for 40 days and some years, I am more successful than others.  This year, I find myself very attracted to Chapter 6 in the Gospel of St. Luke, the so called “Sermon on the Plain”. (Luke 6: 20 – 49). 

 This is St. Luke’s presentation of the Beatitudes. They are very similar to St. Matthew, but one stark difference is the addition of what is called “The Woes.”  Let’s read through the Beatitudes and the Woes:

“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.

Jesus is not castigating those who have economic success and security simply for having that success. He is not teaching that we have to give up all material things and live in poverty.  Jesus is reminding us of the virtues and values of God’s kingdom and warning us not to invest only in the values of the world.  

Contemplating this passage led me to these questions.  I’ll leave them for your consideration.

1. What are the “Woes” in my life that keep me from focusing on the virtues and values of God’s Kingdom? 
2. What can I do during my 2025 Lenten Journey to invest more time, talent and treasure in pursing the values of God’s kingdom in the here and now?