SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 FATHER VIJAI AMIRTHARAJ
African hunters have a clever way of, trapping monkeys. They slice a coconut into two, hollow it out, and in one half of the shell cut a hole just big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through. And then they place an orange in the other coconut half, before fastening it together, and putting them together, and sticking them together. And finally, they secure the coconut to a tree with a rope, retreat to the jungle, and wait.
And sooner or later, an unsuspecting monkey swings by, smells the delicious orange, and discovers its location inside that coconut. The monkey then slips its hand through the small hole, grasps the orange, and tries to pull it through the hole. Of course, the orange won’t come out. It is too big for the hole.
To no avail, the persistent monkey continues to pull and pull, never realizing the danger he is in. And while the monkey struggles with a orange, the hunters simply stroll in, and capture the monkey by throwing a net over it. And as long as the monkey keeps his fist wrapped around the orange, the monkey is trapped. The poor monkey could save its own life if it would only let go of that orange.
However, it rarely occurs to the monkey that it can’t have both the orange and its freedom. That orange becomes the deadly trap.
Sisters and brothers, in today’s Gospel we heard Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, which is less well known than the Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes. However, Luke’s version is punchier, more to the point. Luke’s Beatitudes are about spiritual detachment, about letting go, which is an important spiritual attitude.
Now spiritual detachment means that I am unattached to the worldly values that become a substitute for my ultimate relationship with God. Saint Ignatius of Loyola would call it “indifferentia.” The holy indifference to the created things, in order to be close with the creator.
How bluntly Luke’s account puts things. Look at the first Beatitude, the model for the rest of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are you who are poor, “for the kingdom of God is yours.” What if we translate this to say: “How lucky you are “if you’re not addicted to material things.”
Now I don’t want to sound overly spiritual here and say avoid all material things for the sake of spiritual things. We all need material wealth. We all need material things to live on. However, when we place material things in the centre of our concerns, we find ourselves caught in an addictive pattern. Where we seek more and more, and we go to the extent of ignoring other human beings and even treating them as things.
And that is why, unlike in Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes, in Luke’s version the blessedness is followed by woes. Now, the woes are not condemnation of wealth, or laughter, or success in themselves, rather they are warnings against complacency or self-sufficiency, and lives where we are ignorant to the pains of others.
Now sisters and brothers, as disciples of Jesus in today’s world, Luke’s Beatitudes are a consolation, as well as a challenge. They comfort those of us who carry heavy burdens, assuring us that God is near to us. At the same time, they invite those who enjoy comfort and privilege to examine the attitude with which they live their lives, and how we use the blessings given by God.
In our first reading, Saint Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, says: “Let each of you lead a life “that the Lord has assigned, “to which God has called you.” God has called us to a life where we place our trust in God much more than in material wealth. God has called us to a life of gratefulness, and humility, and generosity.
So let us heed to that call of God today and pray for the grace to see the world through the eyes of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
