“Matthew 5:1-12a”
©2013 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
Gospel: (Matthew 5:1-12a / The Beatitudes)
“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.”
Reflection: My Friends,
Here’s how I will share a reflection about the “Beatitudes.” I am going straight to the Catechism of The Catholic Church (CCC) and these excerpts will explain them in a most dynamic, exciting, precise way. I hope this becomes a handy reference point for you to refer to how we are to understand the Beatitudes.
(1716) The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven. (Cross-reference to 2546) Blessed are the poor in spirit. “The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor, to whom the Kingdom already belongs.”
(1717) The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
(1718) The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it.
(1721) God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to paradise. Beatitude makes us "partakers of the divine nature" and of eternal life. With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ and into the joy of the Trinitarian life.
(1722) Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes from an entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy.
(1723) The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love.
Pondering these thoughts today: The Joy of Heaven will far exceed any Joy found here on earth. The troubles and challenges and crosses we bear here, only better prepare us for the Joy of the life to come. Thomas Aquinas said it like this, “No one can live without joy. That is why a person deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures.” In this frame of thought, is where Poverty is much better understood. In Poverty we have nothing and we lean on Jesus fully -seeking the Joy that awaits us. Do you seek Jesus in such a way that your hunger and thirst for Him with all your heart? The Beatitudes have been misunderstood for centuries and made fun of recently in their true interpretation. The Beatitudes are really something only the Holy Spirit can help us understand. Worldly people, sadly haven’t a clue.
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
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