Karl Marx. of all people, warned us to be careful not to treat the concrete as if it were abstract. When St. Luke reports the sayings of Jesus we call the Beatitudes he does so in a very concrete way. Instead of the more abstract “blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice” in Matthew’s version, Luke has Jesus speak much more personally. “Blessed are you who are poor. Blessed are you who hunger now.” Jesus sees very concrete people dealing with very concrete situations. Isn’t that what makes us respond? The current hurricane victims are abstract until the news presents a specific person coping with their house blown away. What concrete situations will you confront today?
