We are blessed if we hope and trust in the Lord alone.

Both the Prophet Jeremiah and the Psalmist tell us today that we are blessed if we hope and trust in the Lord alone and not placing that hope and trust necessarily with other people or things of this world. That all that we need will come from God. This is what Jesus is teaching us through His suffering, death, and resurrection. If we don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus, then our hope and our faith is in vain. For our ultimate goal is to achieve eternal life with our God. Today’s Gospel is St. Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount from St. Matthew’s Gospel, only Luke’s is on the plain after coming down from the mountain with His disciples. We listen to Jesus’ words of how blessed we are in so many ways when we stay close to Him. St. Luke’s version also included a warning of how bad we will be if we distance ourselves from God or not be thankful for what gifts and blessings we have received from God. May we all have a thankful heart and rejoice in our blessings, as we place our hope and trust in God!

Peace,
Fr. Fred