We are presented today with Luke's version of the Beatitudes. At a first reading they completely fly in the face of the way of thinking with which we are surrounded and on which we have been brought up with our mother's milk. "Happy are you who are poor, hungry, weeping and those of you who are hated, driven out, abused, denounced." Who can take such recommendations seriously? "Woe to you who are rich, filled, laughing and spoken well of." Are we not being constantly taught by our society and its means of communication that the ideal is to be rich, filled to overflowing, constantly enjoying ourselves and be looked up to and even envied by others? Are not money, status and power the gods we are daily urged to worship? Can't I be a good Catholic and be rich and successful at the same time? Jesus sees things differently. Being wealthy is measured not by what I get for myself but how much I can do for others. Who are the really rich: the billionaire with his yacht living a life of self-indulgence, or Mother Teresa reaching out in love to the sick and destitute? In this sense, Jesus was the richest person that ever lived. Let us ask ourselves today: who are the rich and the poor in our community and how do we relate with each other?