HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY, TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE STEPS TO SALVATION
BY:Fr. Benny Tuazon
HOMILY:
(Lk. 6:20-26)
In the day’s Gospel we have Jesus beginning Sermon on the Mount. He began with the (Luke’s version) Beatitudes. These are blessings and curses. These teachings show Jesus as the Lord of reversals. However, lest we miss it, the Beatitudes are not just about the rich or the poor, happy or sad, hungry or satisfied, etc. It is beyond the status in life but our status before God. Jesus noted that whatever we are experiencing, if it is because of the Lord, we are blessed.
The world only sees the rich, powerful, famous, and the like as the ones blessed. And those on the other side as cursed. But what is riches, power, or fame are attained immorally, illegally or unworthily? Before God’s eyes, they are not blessed at all. In the same way, the poor, hungry, the oppressed, and the like maybe blessed if they were so in faithfulness to God. Relationship with God determines blessedness. Blessedness is necessary. The Beatitudes is perfectly translated in Filipino as “Mga Punong Kabanalan”. They are our way to heaven, they are steps to salvation. Thus it is important to see them not as a judgment on status but an encouragement and inspiration to a committed and faithful relationship with God.
