Today, Jesus refers to the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the persecuted for His sake, as spiritually blessed. Isn't His teachings ridiculous and even paradoxical? We might be puzzled with this verse (24) "But woe to you that are rich". Well, there is nothing wrong with wealth by itself, but the danger comes if it becomes our priority and security at the expense of friendship with God. Worrying about wealth is a miserable attitude and ailment.

The Beatitudes call for humility, mercy and justice, while the Woes compel us to examine where our hearts are and what we ultimately seek. Jesus' words comfort and challenge us - comfort to have the promise of God's justice and the reassurance that He is not blind to the plight of the poor and the oppressed. The challenge is for us to hold this promise in hostile places for justice, mercy and humility to prevail. Prophet Jeremiah assured us that "Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD." (Jer 17:7) We anchor our hope in Jesus Christ whose life, death and resurrection testify the embodiment of the Beatitudes.

Jesus boldly challenges the world's traditional thinking: Do not submit to pessimism but rise and live in hope. The kingdom of God is often at odds with the world, and it behoves us to re-examine our values and responses to today's needs. Do we hoard fleeting things, or do we shape our attitudes docile to the eternal rewards promised by God?