When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Mt 5:1-12
Stealing from Fr. Orr’s homily this morning, disciple means learner. Jesus “began to teach them”. To be a disciple, a follower of Christ, we must never think we know it all. We must continue to learn new things. Peter Kreeft says, “We have amnesia”. We forget. We must renew our baptismal vows each day reject Satan and make a persistent effort to follow Jesus more closely. We do this with a daily consecration to Jesus through Mary. If we don’t, we might forget to remind ourselves how to get to heaven. Jesus teaches us the beatitudes, the way to true happiness in the Sermon on the Mount today.
1. Poor in spirit-God is big, we are small. God is powerful, we are weak. We can do nothing without Jesus.
2. mourn-lament, feel guilt, grieve over the death of someone or the ending of a relationship
3. meek-humble, of the earth, we are dust and to dust we shall return, we need God, He doesn’t need us (except to be the instrument of His love and to bring souls to Him)
4. hunger and thirst for righteousness-just, impartial-don’t judge, correct especially in the eyes of God
5. merciful-like the father when he sees the prodigal son and gives him a hug, pity, compassion-to suffer with, as God is for the repentant sinner who never tires of forgiving us, we must be the same for others, who can make it to heaven without mercy?
6. clean of heart-pure, innocent, clean, upright, close to God’s heart
7. peacemakers-USCCB states, “”Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith.”
8. persecuted for the sake righteousness-doing what is right even if it will have painful consequences-virtue of fortitude, the martyrs perfected it
Jesus then says, “We are to be perfect, as the heavenly Father is perfect.” He lays a plan for perfection which means a way to holiness. It does not mean being a perfectionist who is afraid of making mistakes. In short, we must recognize our identity in salvation history and that if we want to be a saint and go to heaven we must recognize our great need for God. It requires humility, not judging, suffering with God and others, remaining pure and conquering impure desires, making peace which requires forgiveness, and being willing to do the right thing even if it is painful. We must die to self which is harder than our physical death. This is impossible without a journey with Christ and opening ourselves to Him in a relationship of love. Love is a decision based on knowledge, a self gift, life giving, requires sacrifice, and likes to suffer. Jesus gave all and we must give all to be with Him forever. Be a servant, become a saint! Christian YOLO
Today’s challenge: Put one of these beatitudes in your bathroom mirror and practice it this summer, especially one you struggle with.
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