A Level Stretch of Ground

Homily for Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

In yesterday’s Gospel text, we heard that Jesus went up the mountain pray after which he chose 12 from among his disciples to be apostles. Then St. Luke writes: “And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.” In the Gospel text for today, we pick up at this point and hear Jesus speak of blessings and woes.

One cannot hear these words without remembering that Jesus began his “Sermon on the Mount” with similar words. Why, then, does Luke place this abbreviated discourse while Jesus is standing on a stretch of level ground. The answer to that question lies in the purpose that each of the evangelists, Saints Matthew and Luke, uses to write his particular Gospel. While Matthew tries to portray Jesus as the new Moses in his Gospel, Luke, who was a Gentile, wishes to show Jesus reaching out to those who have been avoided by the Jews in the past. The “level ground” of which he speaks is meant to convey the thought that Jews and Gentiles are now considered equals.

We don’t normally think of poverty, hunger, or sadness as moments of blessedness. On the contrary, we tend to see them as conditions to be avoided at all costs. In His Unique Way, Jesus is reminding us that it is only in moments of real spiritual, emotional, and physical need that we realize our total dependence upon God. When we are content and fulfilled we may not think quite as often of God and the blessedness that he alone can give. Instead, we may rely on what we have, especially on the material things of this world. When our hearts and lives are torn open because of sadness or grief, we can seek the Lord and know the blessedness that he offers.

We were created and are meant for eternity. Blessed are we when hard times help us remember that.