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Can you imagine telling someone without a job or a place to live, “Look at how much God has blessed you!” That’s not something anyone should do, and it’s not what Jesus is doing in today’s Gospel. He is doing two things: he is proclaiming God’s care and concern for those who are materially poor, and he is announcing blessings on “his disciples,” who have “left everything and followed him” (Luke 6:20; 5:11). He is blessing all those who have accepted the poverty, the hardship, and the rejection they are experiencing as followers of Jesus.

The Greek word that is translated as “blessed” in today’s Gospel carries a number of meanings, including “happy,” “fortunate,” or “enjoying divine favor.” So Jesus is reinforcing for his disciples that the life they have chosen is ultimately a life of happiness. He promises them “the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). He promises them that the day is coming when they, along with all those trapped in poverty, will “laugh” and “leap for joy” (6:21, 23).

He makes the same promises to you.

Jesus knows how challenging it can be to live out the call to discipleship. He knows there are days when you feel as if you’re always swimming against the current of the world. He sees the sacrifices you make to be generous with your resources. He sees your humility as you strive to forgive those who have hurt you.

If this describes you in any way, then know that Jesus calls you blessed. Know that he is promising you all the joys of his kingdom. And know that he is blessing you right now. As Jeremiah proclaimed in today’s first reading, he is making you as strong as a “tree planted beside the waters” (17:8). Even if you don’t feel particularly blessed today, you can still take heart because Jesus is faithful to all his promises.

-from Good News Reflections

                                                    Memory Lane!            

Given our current circumstances, we can't help but think of extreme weather. We've assembled a great group of pictures from the Pittsburgh area that span over 100 years and display weather activity of all types: floods, tornados, blizzards and lightning strikes. Just below these pictures, we have a video from Channel 4 from around Thanksgiving 2025 that looks back 75 years at the big snow storm from 1950.