Blessed are you!

Listening to the Spirit

God of the prophets,
God of Christ:
we are reminded today
that your blessings do not necessarily follow the logic of the world.

The world believes that the rich are blessed,
but Jesus reminds us that it is the poor who are blessed,
the poor in spirit
and the materially poor as well.
We pray for a more just world
in which all have enough and none are left behind.

Though we fear death and avoid its inevitable arrival,
Jesus tells us that those who mourn are blessed.
Help us to experience the truth of this mystery;
bring healing and wholeness to those who are sick;
and comfort those of us who have lost loved ones.

While people covet power,
Jesus blesses the meek;
instruct us, O God, in the ways of humility;
help us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized;
show us your presence in the faces of those the world forgets.

Give us a hunger and thirst for righteousness;
fill our hearts with love, overflowing with mercy;
make our hearts pure, and give us a vision of your glory.

In a society divided by race, gender, class, ideology, sexual orientation,
and so many other labels we alone have created,
remind us that we are created in your image,
each of us a beautiful reflection of you,
each of us your beloved child.
Help us then to end our conflicts and wars,
help us to be peacemakers and agents of reconciliation.

Gracious God,
you have so richly blessed us with life,
with love and joy,
with hope in the midst of despair.
Help us to be the salt of the earth.
Help us to be the light of the world,
sharing with others that which we have received,
boldly proclaiming the good news of your love,
finding the seeds of your kingdom within us
and letting your way grow in our lives and throughout the world.

Amen

Listening to the Word

Mt 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reflection

The evangelist Matthew placed the Beatitudes at the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Reading carefully the words of Jesus, we can realize that the so called “Speech of the Mountain” is not only a programmatic one, but moreover it is the fruit of a long and demanding journey which Jesus decided firmly to fulfill in accordance to the will of the Father. During his life on earth, he understood that the Father wanted him poor, meek, merciful, hunger, righteous, because that was the authentic beatitude according to God. Therefore, we can say that the Beatitudes should be placed at the end of the Gospel, being the result of the spiritual and human growth of Jesus as true man and true God. Choosing to place it at the beginning of his Gospel, it means that Matthew wanted to offer to his Community, to us Christians the way of being disciples of Jesus according to his life, looking at Him as the true model for each one of us.

Jesus went up to the mountain and then “he began to teach”. He is the Master. He teaches to His disciples, and therefore He is also addressing us, so that we can be good and authentic disciples like the twelve, who were sent by Jesus to preach the Good News and to heal the sick.

To teach is to point out a path that we are called to follow, to walk through.
The beatitudes are an invitation to continue the journey, but most of all, I like the interpretation given by a claustral sister, who told us that the Hebrew root of the word “blessed”. It is recalling a sort of command and we can translate it with the word that it is used for the soldiers: “On the march”. If soldiers are on the march, they have started marching to a place. So, it is also for those who follow Jesus. You poor, meek, merciful, righteous, “On the march”, because I am with you, because you are on the right path, because you are doing something great in God’s eyes. Do not stop, keep moving in that direction because that is the real one, according to the Will of the Father.
To teach is also to promise that it is possible to find a meaning even in the painful situations, despite persecutions and violence and that there will be soon a recompense.
I was impressed reading the life of the Vietnamese Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận who was imprisoned for 13 years, spending three years of his internment alone in a hidden jail. I was wondering: where did he find the strength to face such a difficult situation? How could resound in his hearth the words of Jesus: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”? The promise of Jesus is: “Theirs is the Kingdom.” When he was serving the people as a priest, rightly he was spending energies, time, and his talents for his people. But after being imprisoned, he felt not only the hardness of being secluded, but even the pain of not serving his parishioners. Describing his experience in jail to one friend who wrote a book about his life, Cardinal Văn Thuận said that in that terrible time he felt in his hearth these words: “Choose God and not God’s works.” In that awesome situation, the Cardinal could find a meaning for his life, peace in his hearth, and therefore a recompense making him able to continue his journey with renovated hope in God.

Reflecting on the Beatitudes, how shall we face this difficult time of pandemic? Are we desperate? Are we among those who are addressed by Jesus? Most probably, yes, we are. We do not lose hope, because we know that the Lord is really our companion. He is a faithful friend, close to us. Jesus is there sharing with us our heavy burdens in life.
Blessed are we!