REVERSAL OF FORTUNES

One of the predominant themes in Jesus' preaching about the Kingdom of God is that of the coming reversal of fortunes. In his divine justice, God consistently favors the poor and weak over those who are rich and powerful. While all are called to conversion, the rich who refuse to repent are excluded from the Kingdom, not such much by God, but rather by their own stubbornness of heart: "[The Lord] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:52-53).

In today's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus proclaims good news to the poor: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled." At the same time, Jesus warns the unrepentant rich: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry" (Luke 6:20-21; 24-25). One implication of Jesus' Kingdom preaching is that the rich have the social and moral obligation to assist the poor, relieve their suffering and attempt to close the socio-economic chasm between them. The rich cannot absolve themselves of this obligation, and in fact, their salvation depends upon their effort to fulfill it. The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31) illustrates this point in graphic and absolute terms.

Then, as now, the sad reality is that the chasm between super-rich and super-poor continues to grow. Attempts to address this socio-economic disparity is met with fierce resistance and political maneuvering, as in the recent attempt to derail a modest minimum wage increase that would allow full time workers the ability to feed, clothe and shelter their families rather than continue to live in poverty. Scripture teaches us that God does not remain indifferent, and so neither can we.                                                                                            

                                                                                            Rev. John A. Szukalski, SVD

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1. 為慶祝中華聖母傳教中心成立廿五週年，團體將於五月份出版紀念特刊。堂區通訊編輯小組敬邀主內兄姊，寫些紀念文字。此外，如個人保有歷史價值的相片，懇請提供。因相片建檔費時，請有意提供者盡速將相片交給江國富或吳绮嫻，相片背面請註明提供者姓名，拍攝日期及event，以便整理，相片將於建檔後歸還。至遲請於三月中送出稿件或相片，謝謝! (25週年堂慶活動表請參見二月份
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5. 二月二十五日(四旬期第一主日)全球天主教會將為慕道者舉行甄選禮(Rite of Election) ，華盛頓教區於當日下午三時在聖母大殿舉行。請大家繼續為慕道的兄弟姐妹們祈禱。

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