Right Side-Up Kingdom!

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Col 3:1-11; Lk 6:20-26

Today’s Gospel highlights the idea of reversal blessings in Luke’s Gospel. 

How can we appreciate the idea of reversal blessings as taught by Jesus? 

In explaining the Kingdom outlook, Jesus gives us important correctives about the Kingdom. 

1. First, we must understand that Jesus does not call a section of the people blessed because they are poor, hungry, mournful, or persecuted. Instead, Jesus ascribes blessedness to them because God is on their side and going to change their situation.

2. The Kingdom of God is about the equal dignity of all. Peace will prevail because justice will be established. Sharing and caring will take away poverty and indifference. Since there will be no question of vengeance, we may not witness the ‘oppressed becoming the oppressor’ factor as it often happens in human revolutions. After all, Jesus has taught us to love even our enemies. 

3. While the Kingdom of God will be known for its countercultural values, the unrepentant wealthy and influential people will be in discomfort because they cannot embrace the underdogs as their equals even in God’s name. Thus, their suffering will be largely self-inflicted because they would not be prepared for everyone else to be as welcome as they are. However, that is God’s intention for humanity. 

In sum, thanks to God’s preferential intervention on behalf of the marginalized, the Kingdom of God will be an upside-down Kingdom. Or perhaps that is the right-side-up Kingdom in an upside-down world. 

Let us pray that we may accept and promulgate God’s will for humanity by advancing His Kingdom every day in our context!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar