Attitude: Trust in God
Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26
In today’s Gospel, we have St. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, sometimes called the “Sermon on the Plain” because, according to Luke, Jesus came down from the mountain and stopped in plain level, where He delivered the Beatitudes. In Matthew’s Gospel, this same sermon was given on the mountain (Matt 5:1), and so it bears the name “Sermon on the Mount.” In Luke, the sermon is shorter and more radical, containing four blessings and four curses, contrasting poverty and riches, hunger and fullness, sorrow and laughter, and defamation and commendation. However, our attitudes determine our fates. Therefore, the Beatitudes are Christ’s commentaries on our attitudes.
As Christians, what can be said of your attitude? Both the first reading and the Psalm today highlight the fact that trust in God is the best attitude for Christians (cf. Jer 17:8 and Ps 1). Recounting the Beatitudes, Christ highlighted two basic attitudes: the attitude of the poor and the attitude of the rich.
The Attitude of the Poor:
In Luke 6:24, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor; woe to you who are rich.” Similarly, in Matt 19:24, Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Many people have misconstrued the biblical meaning of poverty. For them, a poor man is saved, and a rich man will die in hell. Listen, whether you are rich or poor is insignificant to salvation; hell or heaven is a function of your attitude. A poor man with bad character can go to hell, and a rich man with good character can make heaven. Beloved, attitude is everything. Therefore, the biblical understanding of a poor man is one who pours his heart to God, that is, one who trusts in the Lord, not in riches. Whether you are rich or poor, as long as you trust in the Lord, not riches, you might be saved (cf. Ps 20:7; Ps 33:16; Ps 125:1; 1 Sam 17:45).
The Attitude of the Rich:
In Luke 6:24, Jesus says, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” Who is a rich man in biblical parlance? A rich man attributes glory to himself, and the Gospel says the Lord grieves over the rich because they have found their consolation. They see all their achievements as a function of their might and skills. A rich man is one who feels that, because of his wealth, he has no need for God. Jesus described a rich man in Luke 12:20 as a fool; He said he looked at his barn and said, “My soul, relax, eat, and be merry.” However, that night the Bible says God came and said to him, “You fool, this night your soul is demanded of you.”
Speaking about the attitude of the rich, Jeremiah says in the first reading, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come…” (17:5-7). Therefore, be careful when you think money can solve everything. Prov 11:28 says, “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will be like a green leaf.” Psalm 1:3 says, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
The Way Forward:
We must learn to trust in God at all times. Irrespective of riches or poverty, absolute trust in God is the best attitude. The second reading reminds us that we must detach our hearts from earthly riches; this world is but a fleeting moment. Our full and final life will come later.
Let Us Pray:
O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
