Blessed are you

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Bless the Lord

The Community of Taizé

Today is Wednesday the 9th of September, the feast of Saint Peter Claver SJ, in the 23rd week of Ordinary Time.

Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life. The most important thing for to do in this moment as you enter into prayer is to let go for a moment... to let go of your concerns, your worries and fears and reluctance, and let yourself be led by God, trusting that God, who loves you, will lead you into life.

3:41

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 6:20-26

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

‘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.

‘Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

‘But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

‘Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

‘Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.'

5:39

Luke’s Jesus speaks directly to ‘you’ rather than describing others at a distance. The poor, the hungry, the weeping and the hated are blessed; the rich, the full, the laughing and the well-regarded are warned. It is a hard reversal to hear. Where do you find yourself as you listen to these words today, among the blessed, among those being warned, or somewhere uncomfortably in between?

Today the Church remembers St Peter Claver, the Jesuit who gave his life to those enslaved, choosing to live among those the world despised rather than among the comfortable. His life is itself a commentary on this Gospel: blessedness found not in security but in solidarity with those who suffer. Who are the people at the margins that you find yourself drawn to, or perhaps avoiding? What holds you back?

As you hear the reading again, notice whether it comforts or unsettles you, and let that response itself become part of your prayer.

9:05

Luke 6:20-26

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

‘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.

‘Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

‘But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

‘Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

‘Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.'

10:48

Ask God for the grace to want what Jesus calls blessed, even when it costs something, and to be honest about the ways you have settled instead for comfort or approval. Speak to God now about what you find yourself desiring most.

13:05

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen