Luke's Gospel is, in general, the most optimistic of the four Gospels. In it, and perhaps even more so in the Acts of the ApostlesLuke unfailingly manages to see the positive side of things. If Mark emphasizes the Passion of Christ and John, while stressing the divinity of Christ, also sees sharply the opposition that Jesus must face from the forces of darkness and even from his own people (cf. John 1, 5-11), Luke joyfully announces the salvation of Christ (e.g., Lucas 2, 10-11).
Matthew's account of Matthew's childhood presents us with the grim reality of the massacre of the innocents, but in Luke's account all is joy, with barely a glimpse of the future suffering to which the aged Simeon alludes (Lucas 2, 34-35). For Luke, persecution hardly seems a problem (e.g., Lucas 4, 28-30) and can even become an opportunity for growth (Facts 8, 1-6).
It is surprising, therefore, that in Luke's version of the BeatitudesIn Matthew's Gospel, which is today's Gospel, he - unlike Matthew - refers to the curses that a worldly lifestyle will bring upon us. In Matthew's account of the beatitudes, Jesus only proposes a whole series of blessings: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, etc... Of course, Jesus speaks in both versions, but the issue here is what the evangelist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, chooses to record.
Luke gives half as many beatitudes as Matthew and fills the spaces with curses. Blessed are the poor, those who now hunger and mourn, and the persecuted... In that sense, his account is much more social, with a greater concern for the poor and marginalized and for social justice (all typical of Luke). Matthew's list is more interior and spiritual ("Blessed are the poor"). His concern is more for interior renewal; Luke's is more for social change. The two versions complement each other perfectly.
And with this same social concern (such as his account of the Magnificat of Mary: see Lucas 1:50-54), Luke outlines the curses that the oppression of the lowly will bring. The rich, the puffed-up, the empty laughers and fame-seekers, all will be cursed. In the first reading, Jeremiah has his own brief and much simpler list of blessings and curses. We are cursed for trusting in ourselves and blessed for trusting in God. It's like Matthew and Luke, but in a nutshell.
If the generally positive Luke can be so hard on the abuses of others, it must be a serious matter. In the end, we need both versions: where Matthew's Jesus calls us to holiness, in Luke he warns us that there is no holiness without a practical concern for social justice.
