“1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:1-16.
Dear friends, please read these Beatitudes slowly. Think about what each one is saying. What is God saying to you in each Beatitude? In the face of the many problems in the world — guns and violence, materialism, poverty, moral relativism, prejudice, destructive and escalating world wars — Jesus challenges us to ask, “What can I do to share God’s love in the world?” Because we are Christians, we are called to be light to the world, and to impact the world for better or for worse by the way we live our lives. When we as Christians fail to be saints, when we fail to live the beatitudes and be light, the world suffers. We suffer.
But when we imitate Christ’s love, and His mercy, and generosity, the world will see our good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father (5:16). Though evil may still flourish in the face of genuine and unselfish Christian witness, we should always consider what good we can do to serve the coming of Christ’s kingdom in this world. Consider what the world would be like if the entire Christian community lived in imitation of Christ. We would live each day avoiding sin if we Christians took care to be what we ought to be. If you and I I take god’s commandments seriously, if we absorb the sins of others without retaliation, if we bless others when misunderstood, if we return good for evil, then the beatitudes are from and center in our hearts. For no human being is so cruel a sinner that we would not run in our lives worshiping God in our daily lives, knowing that all Christians are behaving in the same way.
Let there be peace on earth, let there be mercy and forgiveness on earth, let there be love of others above everything else on earth, and let it begin with each of us.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful…”
1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day…” Psalm 91:1-16.
“But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace”
Psalm 37:11.
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