Reversal of Fortune
Sep. 11: Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
All of today's readings are about reversals of fortune. What seems bad, can turn out good, thanks to God's providence. What seems good can wind up bad, due to God's justice.
Reading 1
1 Cor 7:25-31
Brothers and sisters: In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that.
I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.
Paul makes a distinction here that is of interest to the protestant/catholic divide. Paul is a saint, the apostle to the gentiles, and yet (and so?) he draws a distinction between his personal moral opinion1 and the divine teachings of Christ.
But First Corinthians is in the Bible. It's part of the canon of Holy Scripture. This puts those who hold to Sola Scriptura in a bind. If we're only to accept what's written in the Bible, but Paul's personal opinion is in the Bible, how authoritative is it?
For Catholics, this passage is simply the model for different levels of the Magisterium. Paul's opinion should be given due weight, as with any time a pope or bishop preaches. But it's not infallible unless it's divinely inspired. Paul makes it clear he's not speaking (as we would call it now) ex cathedra.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17
R. (11) Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord, and you must worship him.
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
All glorious is the king’s daughter as she enters;
her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;
behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
The place of your fathers your sons shall have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
This song celebrates the marriage of David's descendant to a foreign princess. She leaves her home behind, which can be a sad and scary time. But the people of Israel welcome her with open arms, and even promote her to a higher station--she was a princess, but now she's a queen.
It's yet another example of God reversing fortune and raising up those who might be considered outsiders of society.
Alleluia
Lk 6:23ab
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and leap for joy!
Your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoicing when something bad happens can be counterintuitive, but that's the theme for the day!
Gospel
Lk 6:20-26
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
This is the beginning of the Sermon on the Plain, equivalent to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. They cover a lot of the same ground, with slightly different emphases. Like a lot of itinerate preacher, Jesus likely had a regular sermon that he would preach often, with variations for different audiences.
In Luke's case, the target audience is gentiles. It’s less about the spiritual values of the kingdom, as in Matthew, as it is about the current, material state of the world. If we are currently blessed economically or socially, we must not be blinded to the needs of the poor and downtrodden. Similarly, the poor shouldn’t allow their misfortune to turn themselves inward.
Prayer and spirituality are as important as physical conditions. We have to tend to both.
Specifically, the early Christian belief that the world was ending soon, and thus it was advisable to not make any major life changes.