Homily for Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

It can be said that the Beatitudes sound strange to our ears. One might ask: How can people be happy if they are poor, hungry, or weeping? These declarations go against how we typically view life. So often, the teaching of Jesus compels us to rethink how we view life. He revealed a God who favors the distressed and the downtrodden. Jesus calls them blessed because God is on their side and wants a more just and shared world. Knowing our needs can open room for God to work in our lives, while in times of abundance, we can easily be self-satisfied and abandon God.

People often seek God with greater motivation when their needs are greater. We come before the Lord in our poverty, our hunger, and our sadness because it is in such times that we recognize that we are not self-sufficient.

Scripture recounts a profound moment as Jesus hung from the Cross. One of the two thieves being executed alongside Him pleaded, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To this condemned man, Jesus responded, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." This powerful exchange serves as a poignant reminder that it is in our moments of greatest weakness that God's grace shines most brightly, offering hope and redemption to all.