A big church with eight windows can be found on a hilltop in Israel. The windows represent the eight beatitudes spoken by Jesus to the crowds as narrated in Matthew’s Gospel. In Luke’s version, only four beatitudes are included, but Luke adds four woes. There is no crowd reported in Luke’s version, except for Jesus’ group of disciples. Most of Jesus’ disciples include the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those excluded from the mainstream of society. Here, Jesus reaches out personally to his poor followers and describes to them the plight of a genuine disciple. In describing genuine discipleship as a life fraught with difficulties rather than an easy or comfortable life, Jesus succeeds in shocking his listeners. They are forced to think deeper and allow the Beatitudes to confront them. Jesus challenges his disciples about their understanding of the life of a disciple. What is God and his Kingdom all about? What endures unto life eternal? We need to focus on eternal life, on life with God, by looking at our difficult experiences on earth as temporary, transitory, and mere trials. If we look at life through the larger prism, from the perspective of eternal life, we will not only endure life’s problems; we will grow and become Jesus’ true disciples.

First Reading • Col 3:1-11

Brothers and sisters: If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

Responsorial Psalm • Ps 145

“The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.”

Gospel • Lk 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.”