‹ Back

Luke 6:24 "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation."

 

This is a great follow-up to yesterday's post. In His Sermon on the Plain (in Luke's case), Jesus contrasts the blessed with the woeful, or those who will one day be woeful. The poor are blessed, for theirs is the Kingdom of God (Luke 6:20), but the rich will be (if not already) full of woe, because they have received their consolation here.

 

This is the same state of affairs described by Hannah in yesterday's post. Those who are rich in whatever they think they desire (money, children, etc.) are often poor in faith. Their earthly plenty gives them transient consolation, leaving them without a desire to know God. They might feel empty, but they don't know why. 

 

This emptiness, however, can be the very thing that causes them to turn to God. When they do, they become blessed as well. The story of E.L.F. Cosmetics founder and now priest, Father Borba, has been circulating lately online. He is a perfect example of this. He was rich, successful, and had "everything", but one day the emptiness overwhelmed him and he looked up to God. He was answered immediately, filled with the consolation only God can give.