Jesus challenges us with an unexpected contrast that he creates with the beatitudes. He creates this contrast by first calling attention to those who suffer the lack of a basic need, and then guarantees that they will be satisfied. Those who live in poverty, for example, are promised the kingdom of God. The hungry will be satisfied. Those who weep will laugh.
These guarantees are, in effect, an offer of hope because Jesus says nothing about when their satisfaction will occur, just that it will. Notice also that he does not restrict or limit in any way the hope he offers. Jesus simply guarantees without regard to merit that all those without hope or whose hope is diminished will be satisfied at some point, if not in this life, then surely in the next. Such hope in the Lord is the central focus of the beatitudes (cf Lam 3:25).
To complete the contrast, Jesus then offers a warning to those who ignore, or are insensitive, to the needs of others. Jesus hopes that those who need the warning will heed the warning. Jesus even provides a brief list of those who can benefit from such a warning. His list leaves us wondering, however. Does Jesus mean that all those who are now rich, or have plenty to eat, or now laugh, are slated to suffer? Why would that be the case? Why will all those who are now satisfied end up suffering?
We get a better idea of what Jesus means with his parable about the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31). In that parable, the rich man did not share even the scraps from his table with Lazarus, a poor and destitute man right outside the rich man’s door. After Lazarus died, Lazarus found eternal comfort in the heavenly home of Abraham, while the rich man died and went to a place of endless torment. Seeking pity for his misery, the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus with some water to relieve his thirst.
Abraham informs the rich man that his request is futile because eternal misery is just deserts for his bad behavior in life. Lazarus, on the other hand, deserves eternal comfort for the misery he suffered. The rich man then implores Abraham to warn his brothers so they could avoid the same fate. Abraham responds that his brothers have the prophets and the opportunity to follow the prophet’s counsel (Lk 16:31).
The prophet Isaiah, for example, says on behalf of the Lord, “If you lavish your food on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall become like midday; Then the Lord will guide you always and satisfy your thirst in parched places…” (Is 58:10-11). The implication is that those who do good will experience good, but those who pursue vain and useless ends without regard to the needs of their neighbor can expect commensurate consequences for their failure to act (Ps 24:4).
Today, most of us do not face such a challenge. We usually do not lack compassion for those in need, especially the poor. The word “poor” suggests a lack of financial resources for the necessities of life, but in reality, a person can be poor in many ways—a lack of nutritious food, clothing, or shelter, as well as a need for spiritual, emotional and psychological support. When we are aware of those with such needs, our response is usually very generous. A good example of just how generous we can be is the financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual help currently being provided to the victims of the California fires.
Rather, the challenge we face today stems from the fact that the poor are often invisible to us. Their invisibility is due largely to geographic, occupational and social barriers that block us from seeing each other. We feel sympathy for people who need assistance, but they are often hidden from our view. We simply do not see them. They live someplace else. Socially and geographically isolated, the poor are without name or face. You cannot just look at a person and see their poverty.
Yet, those in need are the very ones Jesus urges us to love with real care and support. In fact, “As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response” (Economic Justice for All, USCCB 1986, n16). This perspective challenges us to uphold a different vision of life where each person’s worth is determined not by appearance or income or ethnic background. Rather, because each person is created in the image and likeness of God, each of us has a sacred worth as an inviolable and unique gift of God (Gen 1:27).
For this reason, Jesus reminds us in many ways that compassion and justice—especially for the least of his beloved—are holy commands from the One who created us. How and when we meet the challenge posed by compassion and justice is a strategy that Jesus leaves up to each of us. He simply urges us to do more than wish others well and send them on their way without the necessities of life (Jm 2:16). Jesus expects us to take an active regard for our neighbor. With compassion and justice as our guide, we can be beacons and pilgrims of hope for those in need (Is 1:17).
Realizing this goal is the aim of Pope Francis in declaring the current jubilee year opened last December 24th a year of hope. All hope derives from the desire and belief that good things will come our way, despite the uncertainty of the future. Enduring uncertainty gives special meaning to the Christian hope that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Rm 8:31-39).
As St. Paul notes, this kind of hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been given to us through the Holy Spirit (Rm 5:5). Hope always perseveres when founded on faith and nurtured by love of God and neighbor. Whatever our state or status in life, we need faith, hope, and love to survive (St. Augustine, Sermon 198, 2). For this reason, these three virtues are the heart of Christian life.
Pope Francis appeals to these virtues when he calls on all Christians to be pilgrims of hope wherever hope is strained—in prisons, in hospitals, and in places where a person’s dignity has been violated and where poverty and social decay are plenty (Spes non confundit, 7). In such cases, Pope Francis urges us to “bear credible and attractive witness to the faith and love that dwell in our hearts; that our faith may be joyful and our charity enthusiastic.”
In his view, brining hope to others very often requires little more than a smile, a gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good deed. These small gestures for those who receive them can become the rich seeds of hope, especially when offered in the Spirit of Jesus (Spes non confundit, 18). In bringing hope to others even in small ways, they will know that God is with us—and that God is with them (Mic 6:8).
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