A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:1-12a)
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.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus looks out over the crowd and in his Sermon on the Mount teaches the disciples and the crowd—in fact, every one of us—the Beatitudes. Every one of the eight beatitudes presents different facts of the Kingdom of God and guide us toward living a blessed life according to God’s will. The poor in spirit recognize in humility their reliance on God; those who mourn receive God’s comfort; the meek in their gentleness will inherit the earth. Jesus includes in the Beatitudes the blessings and the blessedness of the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted. Through Christ, all of us are called to be holy men and women of the Beatitudes, bringing forth the Kingdom of God here and now and preparing ourselves as children of God to one day see him face to face.
Father in heaven, in today’s celebration of the Communion of the Saints, I glimpse those in your kingdom whose “hands are sinless, whose heart is clean.” Teach me, Lord, to desire not what is vain but what leads to you in this life and to the kingdom that has not yet been revealed. Give me the grace to take in any one of the Beatitudes and all of them to see how each is integral to the others. Open my heart to see in everyday situations the opportunity to put into practice any one of the Beatitudes—good in itself—and the fullness of all of the Beatitudes in the imitation of Christ. Strengthen me, Lord, to know and do your will.
From the responsorial psalm: “Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.”
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.
