Who is truly blessed? In the Gospel today Jesus enumerated them as the poor, hungry, weeping, hated and excluded, insulted, and denounced as evil. On the other hand, He gave His woes on the rich, the laughing, and those of good reputation. Is it not the other way around? Was Jesus mistaken? Then and now, this teaching would receive so much resistance and criticism, and ridicule. Indeed, during the time of the Lord, they find it hard to accept. Now, many belong to the Christian faith but these teachings are considered either irrelevant or optional. But Jesus knew what He was saying. He is the expert as far as blessedness is concerned.
The key to unlocking the wisdom of His reversal teaching is in the cause of the blessedness and the curse. Jesus points out that blessedness is achieved if the above situations occur because of Him. Poverty, hunger, weeping, etc. will be a blessed situation if we experience them because of faithfulness to the Lord. If in following His Holy Will we are put in those situations, then we are blessed! But if one, in his poverty, sorrow, and difficulties is unfaithful and resorts to sin, then, he is not blessed but cursed instead. Poverty or any merciful situation can not be considered blessed if experienced because of evil. Therefore, the rich, laughing, and those of good reputation are not absolutely and eternally cursed. They too can be blessed if they are faithful and good. Concretely, they attain blessedness if they share their gifts; the rich shares with the poor, the laughing sharing it with the crying, the healthy sharing it with the sick, or the powerful defending the weak. Any goodness and faithfulness merit blessedness as far as God is concerned.
Situations of dire need comes in every person. The temptation to take the easy way out of responding to it even in illegal and immoral ways is very strong. I was not spared of it. After I made an appeal for medicines for our parish medical clinic in one of my masses, one person approached me and told me that If I will write a letter to his brother doctor in the United States, he could send me a lot of of medicines. To make the long story short, the medicines in a cargo box addressed to the bishop (because I thought the cargo will be acquired easily if it was sent through him) arrived and was ready for pick up in the customs department of the international airport. Bringing with me the notice, I went to the customs office at eight in the morning and immediately on the first window, I was charged with an application form for twenty pesos without receipt! After that I was subjected to a lot of waiting, approaching one table after another, and talking to a lot of persons. To make the long story short (again), at three in the afternoon (a good seven hours!) I said enough. There is no way I can get those medicines today or even tomorrow. My paper was being processed very slowly. Reason? Because I was not giving bribe money to those persons. (Totoo pala yung bukas na drawer sa bawat table na dapat mong hulugan ng pera para umandar papel mo!) I refused to do so. It was immoral and as a priest getting the cargo of a bishop, it was unbecoming and unacceptable!
I left proud that I did not succumb to the temptation. I felt blessed in spite of not having obtained the cargo which would have been of help to many. But I was not giving up. I sought help from authorities and eventually, the cargo was obtained morally! Those people who are extorting and accepting bribes maybe amassing so much money but they are not blessed. Those people who are electing to bribe than go through the required process maybe saving so much time but they are not blessed. Blessedness is not in material things, power, fame or whatever this world could offer no matter how great. It is in having a good relationship with the Lord.
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