Luke 6: 20-26
Then Jesus 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 in 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."
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
The Constancy of Change
“The only thing constant in life is change.”
Unfortunately, so many of us know firsthand, or through the experience of accompanying our loved ones, how immensely challenging it can be to exist and persevere during seasons marked by depression, lack, hunger, longing, isolation or despair. You likely know how desperately impossible it feels to believe that goodness and life will return when all seems bleak. Thankfully, Jesus is here, reminding us to hold on during these seasons, to trust that God’s presence IS OURS even if we don’t feel it.
Similarly, Jesus seems to be reminding us that seasons of goodness will also pass. We must acknowledge that these seasons and their blessings are a gift to us, lest we (woefully) cling to a false belief that we exist outside the cyclical nature of all creation. Seasons change and desolation will certainly return to us.
St. Ignatius understood well the ceaseless nature of change and counsels us in times of both desolation and consolation, respectively: don't make any major decisions when in desolation and store up the graces when in consolation because desolation will surely return. In other words, hold on. The only thing constant in life is change.
What season of life are you in today? Are you able to hold it lightly and hold on?
—Laura Gilmartin is the Grants Manager and Facilitator of Urban Plunge immersion retreats at Casa Romero Jesuit Renewal Center, serves on the leadership team of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps of Milwaukee, and maintains a private spiritual care practice for monthly spiritual direction as well as the accompaniment of people through The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. She completed her formation to serve in this capacity through the Seminars in Ignatian Formation with the Midwest Province of Jesuits.
Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen
—Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr