“Blessed are the poor”

 

6^th Sunday OT C (Lk 6:20-26)

I.If Moses has the ten commandments, Jesus has the Beatitudes or Blessedness.

II.Blessed? Tagalog?

-          mapalad = sinuwerte lang, pinalad, nagkataon

-          pinagpala = binigyan ng grasya, biniyayaan o pinaboran ng Diyos

-          pinagpala ang mga mahihirap

III.Gospel: Contrast

-          in the Gospel, there is a contrast between the Jewish mentality/ understanding of being blessed and that of Jesus’ own thinking.

-          For the Jews, material blessings and physical wealth are signs of God’s favor. Pinagpala ang isang tao o mas pinagpala, kapag siya ay materially well-off and physically fit. At kapag ang isang tao ay naghihirap, nagkakasakit ito ay gawa ng kanyang pagiging makasalanan. Punishment from God.

-          But for Jesus, the blessed are the ones who are poor. Para kay Hesus, ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng salitang “POOR”?

IV.Biblical times: “Poor”

-          in biblical times, the word “poor” could be used in four ways.

1.        It could be used to refer to those people who were without  material wealth.

2.        It could be used to refer to those people who were  helpless and without influence. Because these people were without material wealth, they were also without influence and power to protect themselves.

3.        It could be used also to refer to those people who were exploited. Exploited people. Because they were helpless and without influence, they were also often oppressed and exploited. Ginagamit at inaapi.

4.        It could be used to refer to those people who put  their total trust in God. Because these people were without material wealth, helpless and often oppressed and exploited, many of them put all their trust in God. Wala silang ibang inaasahan kundi ang Diyos lamang.

-          in other words, when Jesus used the word “poor”, he was referring to those people, without wealth, helpless, oppressed and who put all their trust in God.

-          Kaya ng sinabi ni Hesus: “Blessed are the poor” , ang ibig niyang sabihin: “Pinagpala ang walang ibang inaasahan, kundi ang Diyos lamang”. Only God and God alone.

V.Conclusion: “Poor in spirit”

-          and thus, Spiritual Poverty or being poor in spirit means, total trust or total dependence on God. The state of being always in need of God.

-          kaya po mas pinagpala ang mga mahirap, dahil ang pangangailangan sa Diyos ay palaging nasa kanila.. Di tulad ng mga maykaya, na may tendency to rely on their own, umaasa sa sariling kakayahan at tuluyan ng makalimot sa Diyos.

-          And thus in the final analysis, the real poor are the ones who are apart from God, and not the materially poor, who are always in touch with God, always in need of God.