Daily Scripture Reflection & Prayer: February 16, 2025

Date: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture Text: Luke 6:17, 20-26

Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he 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.

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.”

Breaking the text open – background and summary:

The gospel for today brings us Luke’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, similar in ways to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew. The first statements of Jesus, “Beatitudes” speak of the blessings, of the LORD’s favor, for those who are following Him, sacrificing much to be His disciples, for love of Him.

Meditating on the text with personal questions:

What am I willing to give up and forgo for the sake of my relationship with Christ?

Praying:

LORD, Almighty Father, You sent your only begotten Son, Jesus, to us as our brother, our teacher, and our redeemer. He revealed You to us, He showed us the depth and breadth of your love for us, and He modeled for us loving obedience. Send your Spirit to tenderize us so that our minds seek to know your will, our desires conform themselves to your desires for us, and our very beings are transformed by your love into the daughters and sons You created us to be. Grant that we may accept whole heartedly your beloved Son’s invitation to deny self, pick up our crosses, and follow Him. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Spirit, one LORD, forever and ever. Amen.