Readings:
1 Corinthians 7: 25-31
Luke 6: 20-26
Reflection:
In Luke’s Gospel, we get a different version of the Beatitudes, one in which things are turned upside down. This is consistent with many other messages in Luke’s Gospel as in Luke 4 where Jesus says: ‘He sent me to bring good news to the poor…….’ It is also akin to the words we find on the lips of Mary in the Magnificat where she says, ‘He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.’
So, what is the message? I had the privilege of visiting our sisters in Peru many years ago where they were living and working alongside people who were simply living one day at a time. I was often amazed at how happy and carefree the children seemed to be when often their parents did not have enough money to buy bread for the day.
This is something that Hugh van Cuylenburg, founder of the Resilience Project echoes when he says: ‘In 2008, I was fortunate enough to spend a few months living and volunteering in the far north of India. In this desert community, there was no running water, no electricity and no beds; everyone slept on the floor of their hut. Despite the fact these people had very little to call their own, I was continually blown away by how happy they were.’
As a result of this experience, he came to the conclusion that there are three principles which help us on this journey-gratitude, empathy and mindfulness on which he based the resilience programme for schools. This approach fits with the beatitudes as it turns some the values of our society such as wealth, success and image upside down and offers a recipe for living which enables us to live simply, one day at a time, with gratitude and hope.
As we journey in this season of creation let’s be grateful for the gifts of Earth and live with empathy for those who are in need and mindful of a world in a painful transition to a new era.
Sr. Brigid Murphy CP, Sisters of the Cross & Passion, Melbourne