For the past week or so in the daily Mass Readings, the Church has been reading from the first Book of Kings, and we’ve been hearing about the rise of Solomon to the kingship of Israel. Solomon was the son of King David, of whom God promised “I will raise up your offspring after you, … and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son” (2 Sam 7:12-14).
After Solomon became king, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” When Solomon asked God for an understanding heart to be able to judge justly, God was pleased with him and granted him “a heart so wise and understanding” that there was no one equal to him. And because Solomon asked for nothing more, the Lord also blessed him with great riches, and honor, and admiration.
King Solomon built and dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, and word of his wisdom and fame spread to all the lands. The Queen of Sheba came to witness for herself what was reported of him in her own country, and was so impressed that she gave him great quantities of gold, spices and precious stones. King Solomon was certainly blessed with wisdom, but was also blessed with such prosperity and fame that he was honored throughout all the lands.
Now compare this with what Jesus says in today’s Gospel passage: “Woe to you who are rich.” “Woe to you who are filled now.” “Woe to you who laugh now.” “Woe to you when all speak well of you.” So what’s going on here? Why does Jesus seem to condemn what was considered a blessing? And why does he seem to bless what many of us would consider a curse? “Blessed are you who are poor.” “Blessed are you who are now hungry.” Blessed are you who are weeping.” Blessed are you when men hate you.” The word “blessed literally means “happy.” So Jesus us telling us what it means to live in true happiness.
This gospel passage is very difficult for us to hear because it takes many of the things that we’ve been taught and turned them around. Jesus seems to turn reality upside down. Those whom Jesus call blessed live lives that we would normally consider cursed; what Jesus calls woeful are those things that most people spend their lives trying to acquire – wealth, fulfillment, joy and popularity. Those who seem to be prospering may not be, in God’s sight. Those who seem to be suffering may not be, in the eyes of God. So what does Jesus seem to be saying to his disciples here?
Well, if we go back into the Old Testament, we see that in the earliest times of Israel, just before they entered the Promised Land, Moses gives a long list of blessings and curses to the people. He taught the people that if they were obedient to the commandments of God, they would receive earthly blessings. But if they were disobedient, they would be cursed. The people that Jesus was talking to knew this. They knew the Law of Moses. But Jesus is taking the teaching of Moses to a completely new level with the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes reverse the world’s understanding of true happiness; they show us that happiness, true happiness, is not found in riches, pleasure, entertainment, and fame, but in God. Learning this lesson on discipleship requires faith, since the promises and rewards may not be experienced until the heavenly kingdom. And I think that is the key in this Gospel reading. Jesus says, “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” Jesus is telling us to think in terms of heaven, not earth. He wants us to think in terms of eternity, not the here and now.
And I think that too often, we don’t do that. Jesus is telling us that earthly blessings, while good in and of themselves, can be spiritually dangerous. That’s why he says elsewhere in the Gospel, “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Luke 18:25). Because we can get quite complacent and self-satisfied with earthly goods, and come to feel like we don’t need God.
This is just what we hear in the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah. Like all the prophets, he says that those who are condemned are those who compromise their values so they can be accepted and succeed. Jeremiah says “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings … whose heart turns away from the Lord,” and “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” And the message of Jesus is very close to this. To put it simply, if you choose God, you will be blessed. But if you choose human standards, you will find yourself in a state of woe.
Unfortunately, this is what happened to King Solomon. He relied on his wealth, his fame, and on the alliances he had with the leaders of the other nations. He fell into idolatry, and eventually, the kingdom of Israel was taken from him, became divided, was overtaken by Assyria and Babylon, and taken into exile. Why? Because his heart had turned away from the Lord, unlike his father David who was a man after God’s own heart.
These beatitudes from the Gospel of Luke challenge us, and they challenge our understanding of blessedness. They are difficult to hear and hard to accept. But Jesus isn’t suggesting here that the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the hated should be satisfied with all this, or that it’s what he wishes for us. It isn’t poverty in itself that is blessed but the poor who know they depend on God. It is not hunger that is blessed but a hunger that leads people to seek God. Jesus is saying that the values and customs of God seriously conflict with those of our society.
So what is the answer? How can we make it easier to keep our hearts turned toward the Lord when we are so influenced by society’s standards? Advertisements, commercials and television shows all tell us we need to be highly paid without putting out much effort; the very wealthy and popular stars are placed high on pedestals, and we are expected to imitate them.
If we turn to our Responsorial Psalm, I think we can find the answer there. The first part of the psalm reads: “Blessed the man who follows not / the counsel of the wicked, / nor walks in the way of sinners, / nor sits in the company of the insolent, / but delights in the law of the Lord / and meditates on his law day and night” (Ps 1:1,2). The psalm is showing us two ways of life we could follow: the way of righteousness, or the way of wickedness. How is a person “Blessed” or “Happy”? First of all, he must avoid sin and not follow those who are sinners. Sin never leads to happiness. It may bring temporary pleasure, but never brings true happiness.
The key to happiness, according to the psalm, is loving God and loving his Word. “Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates on his law day and night.” The Law of the Lord is the Torah, the commandments of God; it’s the Scriptures—the Bible. So we have to make meditation on the Sacred Scriptures a regular part of our lives. “Day and night” the psalm says. Not every once in a while, or when I can fit it into my schedule, but day and night—every day. It should be a habit we get into. And not just reading, the Bible, but studying the Scriptures and meditating on them. It’s what we should be doing; it’s what is expected of us. Because if we don’t meditate, we can easily end up in wickedness and sin, with hearts turned away from God.
So turn off the TV, put down your small screens for awhile, and turn to the Sacred Scriptures for some time in conversation with the Lord, with Jesus. He gives us guidance in today’s Gospel with the Beatitudes. It’s how he lived, and he wants us to imitate him. If we want to be truly happy, or Blessed, we must follow his footsteps. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Living the Beatitudes gives us the hope that on the other side of the cross is the Resurrection.