Wednesday of week 23 in Ordinary Time
First Reading
1 Corinthians 7:25–31
Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel, as having obtained mercy of the Lord, to be faithful.
I think therefore that this is good for the present necessity, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound to a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.
But if thou take a wife, thou hast not sinned: and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh. But I spare you.
This therefore I say, brethren; the time is short; it remaineth, that they also who have wives, be as if they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as if they used it not: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 44(45):11–12,14–17
Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear.
Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear:
and forget thy people and thy father’s house.
And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty;
for he is the Lord thy God, and him they shall adore.
Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear.
All the glory of the king’s daughter is within,
in golden borders, clothed round about with varieties.
After her shall virgins be brought to the king:
her neighbours shall be brought to thee.
Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear.
They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing:
they shall be brought into the temple of the king.
Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee:
thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.
Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Be glad and rejoice,
for your reward is very great in heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Luke 6:20–26
And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for you shall laugh.
Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets.
But woe to you that are rich: for you have your consolation. Woe to you that are filled: for you shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh: for you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.
Reflection
Saint Paul writes with a strong sense that “the fashion of this world passeth away”. He is not dismissing marriage, sorrow, joy or material possessions as though they were meaningless. Rather, he is asking Christians to receive every earthly circumstance without allowing it to become their ultimate security. Marriage and consecrated celibacy are distinct vocations through which a person may belong wholly to Christ; neither is an escape from the demands of discipleship (CCC 1603–1605; 1618–1620).
The psalm gives this call to freedom the language of attentive love: “Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear.” Before anything is left behind, a voice must first be heard. The daughter is invited into a new belonging, centred upon the king. Christians hear in this bridal imagery something of the mystery of Christ and his Church, united in a covenant that shapes every other loyalty (CCC 796).
Jesus then reveals the character of his kingdom through blessings and warnings. Poverty, hunger, tears and rejection are not good in themselves. Christ does not romanticise suffering or ask us to ignore injustice. He declares that deprivation and humiliation do not place anyone beyond God’s sight. Those whom the world overlooks are addressed directly by the Son of God and promised a future that present circumstances cannot cancel.
The woes expose the opposite danger. Wealth, satisfaction, laughter and public approval can become consolations that leave no room for God. They may persuade us that the present arrangement of life is permanent and that we need nothing beyond it. Jesus warns us because comfort can quietly harden into self-sufficiency.
The Beatitudes therefore ask where our hope rests. They describe the surprising happiness of those whose lives are open to God’s kingdom, even amid hardship. They also reveal the final destiny towards which God calls every person (CCC 1716–1729). Christian hope does not deny present grief; it refuses to believe that grief will have the last word.
Paul’s counsel and Christ’s teaching meet in the freedom of a heart that does not cling. We may love people deeply, enjoy good gifts gratefully and carry genuine sorrow honestly, while remembering that none of these passing realities is God. Poverty of heart means placing every possession, achievement and relationship under the greater claim of the kingdom (CCC 2544–2547).
That freedom can be practised today in a simple way: receive what is given with gratitude, share what can be shared, and resist measuring life by comfort or approval. The world as we know it is passing away, but the life Christ promises is already taking root wherever we listen to him and entrust ourselves to his kingdom.
One line to carry today:
Hold what passes with open hands, and let the kingdom possess your heart.
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