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."
Dawg's Thought:
Today's prayer intention - for peace in this world, and especially in the Holy Land.
As I was on a plane ride back to Phoenix, AZ today, I thought about my life as it stands today. There are a lot of things in which all I can do is simply turn to God and say, "I don't understand this."
It is comforting to meditate on these Beatitudes because it points to the peace that I feel in the midst of my uncertainties. It reminds me not to chase down the path of escape-ism in the different responsibilities I have. It also reminds me to be meek in serving, merciful in relating, pure of heart in seeing ... etc.
When I first heard these lines in scripture, I had no clue what they meant. Yet, now that I have come to know Christ as a merciful healer, it's easier to see how it is God's desire to love us when we share in His work and His suffering. We simply cannot adopt the idea that following Christ means living a life that is comfortable, with no sacrifice of ourselves.
It also reminds me that, although we are called to be merciful, we are also called to allow God to work in the lives our neighbor as well. We must encourage each other to be meek, and to give our brothers and sisters the opportunity to partake of the treasure of being merciful.
In closing, here are some words from Pope John Paul II:
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In the end, Jesus does not merely speak the Beatitudes. He lives the Beatitudes. He is the Beatitudes. Looking at him you will see what it means to be poor in spirit, gentle and merciful, to mourn,m to care for what is right, to be pure in heart, to make peace, to be persecuted. This is why he has the right to say, "Come, follow me!" He does not simply say, "Do what I say." He says, "Come, follow me!"
* * *
Take care and God Bless.
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