Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them. He said:
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12
Meditation:
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is one of the most quoted sections of the New Testament.
In some translations, blessed is translated as happy.
If you read them that way, would they take on a different meaning? After all we all want to be happy!
Happy are the poor in spirit ? Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you?
We want to get to the kingdom of God, but do we really want to be poor in Spirit or be persecuted?
I know it says "poor in Spirit" But to me it means being blessed in Spirit even though I may be poor. We might not have wealth or possesions but we are blessed in Spirit and faith in God despite our circumstances.
If you think about it when people insult you, persecute you or say false things about you, you should be feel ‘blessed’ or happy because they see you as a threat to their evil ways. They see you are not affected by their insults and persecution because you are blessed with Spirit that only comes from believing in God.
None of us wants to mourn, but the fact is that unless we die before all the people we love, we will mourn. Jesus is telling us that even though we will grieve, that isn’t the end, and if we turn to God and allow him to walk with us, we will find comfort.
The world doesn’t hold the meek in high esteem, but turning the other cheek takes strength. Acknowledging our weaknesses as well as our strength takes strength. Since Jesus calls us to work for justice, it is part of following Christ that should encourage our hunger for what is right
Those who are merciful, who are able to be compassionate and forgive are the ones that will be forgiven more easily when they fail. And who doesn’t want peace? The problem is we need to work for justice if we want peace. We need to refrain from seeing violence as an answer to problems. If we pay attention to the beatitudes, and live them, then we will be happy!
Prayer:
Gracious GOD, you have given us the commandments to help us learn how to live, and your Son, Jesus, who gave us the rules for happiness. Help us to live them. Also continue filling our hearts with your Holy Spirit to share Jesus’ Gospel joyfully with words and actions! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
Jose Reyes
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