A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
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.”
In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses his disciples and the crowds surrounding him. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount follows immediately after Jesus ministers to the multitudes following him “from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus brings healing to the crowds, just as he healed the physical illnesses of everybody who came to him. Looking into the eyes of the people in the crowd, he must have seen those who were broken, in mourning, meek and humble; those who were wronged and sought justice; those who were merciful and pure and peaceful. And he experienced personally the same thing disciples experienced: insult and persecution because of his name. What he gave once, he still gives. To each of those whose eyes Jesus meets and who hear his words, through his great compassion Jesus gives us the Beatitudes.
God, help me understand the love you have for your people and for me. As the Son of God, you saw the pain and suffering that this world brings and experienced it firsthand. For each facet of that suffering, you bring not merely comforting words but the realization of what is hoped for in the coming of your kingdom. In faith, ours is the kingdom of heaven; comfort; inheritance; satisfaction; mercy; peace; and, one day the reward of seeing you face to face. As the Gospel acclamation says, “Rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven.”
Lord, let your gaze meet me today as I come to you to learn your love through the Beatitudes. Heal me of any particular illness or hinderance that keeps me from rejoicing and being glad in the life you have given me to come to know you. I know you love me. Lord, look kindly upon me!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.