4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Research into the Beatitudes leads one to conclude that there is little agreement among biblical scholars about their meaning and what Jesus really intended to convey. One thing that becomes clear is that the Beatitudes are meant to be either extraordinary challenges for many Christians or promises in an eschatological/future context. In whatever manner we decide to approach the Beatitudes, they remain always blessings from God. They are not offered based on personal achievement or accomplishments. They are distributed to the poor, the marginalized, and the sorrowing. The people considered “worthy” of blessings are the meek and the forgotten. Challenges or promises, how are we to understand and obtain these blessings? Maybe this can help:
+ When you are poor in spirit, you are blessed, for yours will be the kingdom of heaven.
+ When you mourn, you are blessed, for you will be comforted.
+ When you are meek, you are blessed, for you will inherit the land.
+ When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you are blessed, for you will be satisfied.
+ When you are merciful, you are blessed, for you will be shown mercy.
+ When you are clean of heart, you are blessed, for you will see God.
+ When you are a peacemaker, you are blessed, for you will be called a child of God.
+ When you are persecuted, you are blessed, for your reward will be great in the kingdom of heaven.
God’s blessings come to us who adopt Jesus’s attitudes. In our meditation, let us not imagine that all these blessings are meant for me to bask in God’s bountiful love and all I have to do is to be strong and do what the Beatitudes require. Saint Peter-Julian Eymard said: “In God’s service, we need fidelity and generosity, but not strength. God is the strength!”
Let Us Pray
Grant us, Lord, our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart in the spirit of the Beatitudes. (Opening Prayer adapted)
