“And raising his eyes toward his disciples he 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.

            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.’”

In this liturgical year, which began with Advent and will conclude with the Feast of Christ the King in November, we will primarily hear from the Gospel of Luke on Sundays, especially during Ordinary Time. A major theme in Luke’s Gospel can be called the Reversal of Fortunes. In this theme, we see that those who suffer and struggle now will one day rejoice. Likewise, those who have plenty and are powerful now will one day lament. We see this early on with the Magnificat of Mary, her great hymn proclaimed at the Visitation. She begins with, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” Even this is a reversal of fortunes, as a poor uneducated peasant girl is chosen by God to bear his Son, the messiah and savior of the world. She continues with lines such as, “The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.” Things are changing!

While the Gospel of Mathew has the Sermon on the Mount, Luke has the Sermon on the Plain. From that sermon, today, we hear Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. We hear today a list of blessings from Luke, expanded and somewhat spiritualized in Mathew’s Gospel, along with Luke’s unique list of woes. Luke is more existential and literal. Compare Luke’s, “Blessed are you who are poor,” to Matthew’s, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Likewise, he is quite literal in stating his woes, such as, “But woe to you who are rich.” The rich, the filled, the laughing, and those who are spoken well of now are specifically mentioned. Are these things, in and of themselves, wrong? Does Luke’s reversal of fortunes indicate that anyone who experiences happiness in this life is doomed in the next?

The short answer is no, but it is cause for a serious examination of conscience. Those who experience blessing now can easily discount their dependence on God, taking the good for granted or as a result of their own efforts. It is an obstacle most of us have to overcome. Those who suffer now often have stripped away their sense of self sufficiency. They know they need God. They (we) have hope in the power and working of God for the coming of his kingdom. Things are changing! Fortunes will be reversed. It matters significantly which path we choose.