for you will be filled. Fortunate are you, who weep now, for you will laugh. Fortunate are
you, when people hate you, when they reject you and insult you and number you among
criminals, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for a great
reward is kept for you in heaven. Remember, that is how the ancestors of the people
treated the prophets. But alas for you, who have wealth, for you have been comforted now.
Alas for you, who are full, for you will go hungry. Alas for you, who laugh now, for you will
mourn and weep. Alas for you, when people speak well of you, for that is how the ancestors
of the people treated the false prophets.”

Reflect 

“Fortunate are you...” In today’s Gospel, we again see Jesus’ interjection of grief – the ouai
or the woes. This time we see this ouai in the context of the Lucan Beatitudes or makarioi
(cf. Mt 5:3-11). Those who are blessed are presented in contrast with those who are
accursed. To be able to understand this Gospel passage better, we must understand that
the Beatitudes are proclamation and not exhortation. This means that the Beatitudes, for
example, are not an invitation to remain destitute. The poor people are blessed because
Jesus proclaimed their liberation from dehumanizing poverty. That is the Good News – that
the poor will be liberated from their dehumanized condition. As already mentioned, the
Lucan Beatitudes have corresponding ouai. Hence, the poor are blessed not because they
are poor but because they will be liberated. Likewise, the wealthy are not accursed because
they are rich. We reflect again that the ouai are interjection of grief. Jesus expressed his
grief over the wealthy, the satisfied and the recognized because despite the blessings they
received, they failed to become the channels of the same blessings to the poor, the hungry
and he hated. In the end, we ask ourselves – are we a blessing or a curse?

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