Black Elk was a member of the Native American Lakota tribe.  He is best known for the book, “Black Elk Speaks” where he shares his life story and the story of the Lakota people.  When he was nine years old, Black Elk fell into a coma like state for a number of days.  In his illness he had a vision that guided him throughout his life and he came to be recognized as a powerful Medicine Man among his people.  Later in life, Black Elk joined the Catholic Church and served as a catechist for twenty years.  He lived a life authentic to his people’s beliefs and his Catholic faith even as he experienced great tragedy in his life. A cause for his canonization has begun.  God willing, one day he may be a recognized saint in the Catholic Church. 

Black Elk shares the thought among the Lakota people that there are two roads in life – the black road and the red road.  The black road is the road that every person must walk.  There are no exceptions.  On the black road we encounter loss, suffering, anguish, division.  In life we will all walk the black road in one form or another.  The red road is the sacred road as it leads to God the creator.  The red road is the road of spiritual growth and maturity. 

The black road and the red road intersect and where the roads cross is the center of creation.  The roads cross exactly in those times of pain and loss we experience as we walk the black road and the red sacred road is discovered and recognized in those moments when we realize that God the creator is indeed with us.  Once we recognize that God is with us even and especially in the moments of pain, we begin to walk the red sacred road toward spiritual maturity and understanding and that moment of recognition becomes the center of the world because God is there with us. 

In today’s gospel (Lk 6:17, 20-26), Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor … Blessed are you who are now hungry … Blessed are you who are now weeping … Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you …”  These are moments on the black road that we will all experience, that we will all have to walk through but these moments become means of blessing when we recognize that God is there with us and we welcome his companionship, in that moment, we begin to walk the red sacred road and we are at the center of creation.  “… for the kingdom of God is yours … for you will be satisfied … for you will laugh … your reward will be great in heaven.” 

But there are also the “woes”.  “But woe to you who are rich … woe to you who are filled now … woe to you who laugh now … woe to you when all speak well of you.”  These are the ones who have only walked the black road.  They may have been more comfortable and sheltered in life but because their focus was only on self, they never allowed themselves to meet God in those moments of pain and loss.  They never walked the red sacred road.  They never stood at the center of creation.  They arrive at the end-of-life lacking depth and maturity.  They arrive at the end of life very poor for having only walked the black road.  “Woe to these people,” says our Lord. 

Black Elk and the Lakota people knew the truth that our Lord proclaims.  There are two roads in life.  We all must walk the black road.  We are all called to walk the red sacred road.  The blessing or the woe is found in the choice we make in whether or not to recognize the presence of God with us and the choice to strive to live the life we have been given in honest relationship with God.