GREAT REVERSAL

The Gospel of Luke is a gospel of great reversal. The Evangelist writes that the last will be the first and the first will be the last. Those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled. He narrates the story of the good thief crucified with Jesus who received the promise of paradise. God turns upside down our way of thinking, seeing and understanding. He says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9). His plans are better than our plans. He wants the best for us. That is why, the Beatitudes of Jesus according to Luke reveal the secrets of the kingdom. They are the attitudes and values of the kingdom that we need to embrace today. Jesus inaugurates the kingdom of God and He is the kingdom of God in person. He reveals that God is the supreme good, absolute treasure and deepest joy. Our hearts and souls belong to God alone. Hence our hearts need to be ordered and planted in the right place. St. Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find rest in You. In God’s kingdom, there can be no rich and poor because those who have more will share with those who do not have enough and recognize the needy as brothers and sisters. In the Acts of the Apostles, the first Christian community was of one mind and heart. There was no needy among them. It is the miracle of generosity thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit empowering them to renounce greediness and selfishness. When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, those insulted” (Lk 6:20), He is declaring solemnly that God is making an option for the poor, outcast, marginalized, insignificant, voiceless and powerless in the world. Jesus creates new heavens, new earth, new order, new society where the poor and hungry are protected and taken care of. The Church is called to make a preferential option for the poor, oppressed, needy, lowly and weak. The disciples of Jesus are called to stand for justice, truth and integrity unafraid of the consequences. The Crucified Christ is the perfect example of the beatitudes because He was born poor, his ministry was directed to the outcast and marginalized and He died at the hands of His powerful enemies. That is a proof that God is present in our troubled, fallen world. The Resurrection of Jesus reveals that He has triumphed over sin and death. God’s justice will ultimately prevail. He invites us to rely on Him alone and be builders of His kingdom today.