“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.”
Did you read the above? Or did you skip over it all? Just wondering...
When I hear this verse I often picture a poor little old lady who is meek. She wears torn and dirty clothes (poor), and she is a widow in morning. She is nice to all people (merciful) and led a good life (clean of heart).
Do you picture this type of person when you hear the beatitudes or is it just me?
Today as I heard this reading in the car ride into work I thought to myself "Why do I think this little old lady is the only person getting into heaven?" I want to get into heaven....why can't I picture myself with these virtues?
Then I had my Jesus Take the Wheel! moment: "Holy Spirit, enter my mind and soul, guide my thoughts and open my eyes to the scripture. I am not a poor widow, but show me how I can be meek, poor in spirit, mournful and merciful."
Sounds kinda miserable right? Why would we want those 'negative' thoughts and feelings. Well, I think it is in those experiences that we search for God, when we call on God, when we come closer to God.
Where am I poor in spirit? Do I have poor spirit when I look at society, child education, natural resources, governments, unmotivated parishes? What can I do about it?
Who or what do I mourn? The lonely, the dying, the imprisoned, the lost, the confused? What can I do about it?
How can I be meek? In my role as a daughter? A sister? A wife? An employee? A parishioner? A volunteer? What can I do about it?
Who's righteousness do I hunger and thirst for? My own? or others? What can I do about it?
Am I merciful? Or am I quick to judge and point the finger? What can I do about it?
Do I have a clean heart? Have I been to confession lately? Am I making amends with my past mistakes and changing my ways? Or am I confessing the same thing over and over again? What can I do about it?
Am I a peacemaker? Or am I a shaker? Do I walk into a situation hoping to bring peace, but instead do I disrupt the natural order of things? What can I do about it?
Have I been persecuted? Or am I in a 'bubble', unexposed to the trials and tribulations of a true martyr? What can I do about it?
With the question ending each of those What can I do about it? the first response is PRAY. As much as I want to change this and fix that...if it's not in God's plan it's not going to happen.
- "Until you are convinced that Prayer is the best use of your time, you will not find time for Prayer" - Father Hilary Ottesmayer O.S.B.
- "Faith without works is dead" - James 2:20
- YOU are the answer to someone else's prayer. Do not be afraid to do God's will. If your prayers are to be answered, someone else must find the courage to do God's will.
Read Pope Francis' Homily today (and everyday!):
Eight Sessions from Ascension Press about the Beatitudes the series was in April...but you can still watch Thomas Smith talk you through a spiritual journey with the beatitudes. SPOILER: He explains that the 8 beatitudes ARE the life of Jesus. Jesus was meek, merciful and persecuted. He says FOLLOW ME not in a single-file line...but in his way of life. BE the Beatitudes like Jesus is.....
