INTRODUCTION
Lent is the liturgical season of the Church that mirrors the forty days Jesus spent in the desert preparing for His public ministry. As we prepare for the Lenten season, beginning with Ash Wednesday March 2, we gather many materials together for our Spiritual Reading, reflection, and contemplation. One of the best and most reliable set of meditations are the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount is a powerful summary of the fundamental teachings of Jesus. The Beatitudes point out behaviors that conform to Jesus. Just as Jesus is blessed by the Father at His Baptism and Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, Jesus assigns blessedness to those who follow the Beatitudes.
He who has climbed the first mount to preach the Beatitudes must necessarily climb the Mount of Calvary to practice what He preached. Jesus signed His own death warrant with the Sermon on the Beatitudes. Whoever challenges the Spirit of this world is bound to be challenged, sometimes persecuted, and even put to death. You cannot have Easter without Good Friday.
SCRIPTURE
MATTHEW 5:1-12
When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, 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, because of me, Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
COMMENTARY
“Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Was Jesus saying the economically poor were blessed? No! The poor can be just as greedy and envious and proud as any other sinner. God does not value what the poor have but what they do not have, self-sufficiency, a presumption of being able to save themselves
Jesus is speaking of the poor in spirit who understand their human nature and accept all that they have comes from God. They know their salvation depends completely on the mercy of God. Whoever humbles themselves is able to repent, and allow the grace of God to lead them to conversion.
“Blessed are the Meek for they shall possess the earth.” The word meek in Matthew 5:5 refers to a strong person who is under control. The word meek comes from the Greek word which refers to a strong but domesticated animal like a powerful horse or ox. A meek person is a strong disciplined person. A meek person proclaims not my will but thy will be done. Obedience and submission to the will of God brings us peace in this world and in the next.
Greatness will no longer consist in lifting oneself up above others, but in the humbling of oneself to serve and lift others up. On the cross, Jesus reveals that true victory does not consist in making victims but in making oneself a victim: “Victor because victim.” Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours:
“Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Mourning referred to in this beatitude is not mourning financial loss, loneliness, divorce, or even the loss of a loved one. Faithful Christians mourn because they have sinned, dishonoring God and fracturing the Body of Christ.
Mourning our sinfulness creates in us a desire to do what is right. In Luke 15 is the parable of the Prodigal Son. Convicted of his sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the prodigal son makes his journey home to his Father. “This son of mine was dead but now alive; he was lost but now is found.” The son who mourned for his sins is comforted by the Father.
.“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.” Righteousness refers to what is upright, virtuous, noble, and morally right. For the righteous, all their daily intentions, all their daily decisions and all their daily actions will be done the same way Our Lord would have done them. When one hungers and thirsts after righteousness they become transformed and begin to bear the image of Jesus.
“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” The merciful are tenderhearted. They go out of their way, without judging, to help those in need. God shows us mercy when we are miserable in our sinfulness, powerless and foolish in the consequences of our sins. Blessed be God and Father of all mercy who comforts us in our tribulations so that we may be able to comfort others in the manner we are comforted by God. “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” Matthew 9:13
“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” Everything impure comes from our hearts. For from within the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, greed, lust, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.” Mark 7:14–15; 21–23.
How can we possibly be truly pure of heart? The first step is to acknowledge that we have impure hearts and our need for God’s help to cleanse our hardened hearts and deceitful motives. Everyone must purify his or her heart from every tie with the world and with evil
“Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called Sons of God.” Peacemakers are not only those with great love for God but for all mankind as well. They love, desire, and delight in God’s peace. They want to preserve peace and restore it when it is broken.
These are people who love peace so much that they are not afraid of compromising their own peace by intervening in conflicts to procure peace among those who are in dissension.” not by destroying the enemy but by destroying hostility itself, as Jesus did on the cross.
“Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’s sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Persecution in our time may not be bloody but may come verbally in the form of ridicule and mocking, being made fun of by the world.
Our faith is challenged in books, plays, movies and nightly on TV. The Word of God is a stumbling block to ungodly people. They can’t get at our God so they attack those who follow God. Our kingdom is not of this world! “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate” 1 Corinthians 4:12–13
REFLECTION
Where are the Beatitudes in my life? Am I really present to the suffering Jesus in the faces I meet? Do I give to the impoverished of spirit as well as the physically impoverished? Do I offer kind words of encouragement to those suffering from affliction of mind and spirit? Am I merciful to others or does my judgmentbget in my way?
Do I proclaim courageously and vigorously the Words of the Gospel or do I cower and compromise…am I absorbed into the culture and trends of this world… Is my heart detached from false idols…does my heart seek the kingdom of heaven first and foremost?
PRAYER
Merciful Father, Help us to be among the poor in spirit; to be among those who mourn for all that’s wrong and broken in this world; Help us to be among the meek, the merciful, to be a true friend to those who are hated, misunderstood, rejected, and disregarded … Help us to be peacemakers… to build bridges to restoration and reconciliation with family, friends, and the world at large. In Jesus name, we pray!