The Beatitudes!
The Beatitudes!
Today’s readings teach us that true happiness, or beatitude, lies in God first and placing everything else second. The first reading from the book of Jeremiah (17:5-8) tells us that true beatitude consists in placing our trust in God and in putting our trust in His promises. Here we see a contrast between the wickedness of Judah “like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season” (17:6) and the happiness of one who trusts in the Lord, is “like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream” (17:8). The responsorial psalm (1) affirm that blessedness is rooted in trusting in the Lord. Psalm says, “He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers” (Ps 1:3). Catechism of the Catholic Church #150 says, “Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature.”
In the second reading, St. Paul (1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20) warns those who don’t believe in resurrection. He says, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (15:20). So Christ’s resurrection is the reason for our assurance of reaching heaven for an everlasting life of happiness.
In the Gospel of Luke (6:20-26) presents the “Beatitudes.” We are more familiar with Matthew’s version. The main difference between Matthew and Luke is that they are about a sermon on the mount vs. a sermon on the plain. Matthew says the sermon on the mount, and Luke’s version is the sermon on the plain. Still, it could be on the mountain, but somewhere, it is a flat area.
Matthew’s gospel has 8 Beatitudes, which are happiness in the new covenant to disciples of Jesus. whereas Luke has only four Beatitudes and four Woes. Woes are warnings that tell that those who excess in earthly pleasure may experience a temporary joy but ultimately find life empty. St. Ambrose saw in the four Beatitudes of Luke the four cardinal virtues of temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude.
Jesus instructs his disciples in the paradoxical blessedness of poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution because they contradict our natural expectations in every way. Matthew says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” whereas Luke says, “Blessed are you poor.” Matthew’s gospel, the Beatitudes, is formulated in the third person, whereas, in Luke’s account, it’s second person. Another difference is Matthew says ‘poor in spirit,’ whereas Luke says just ‘poor.’ Matthew focuses on the interior aspect, whereas Luke focuses on the social aspect. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2444 says, “The Church's love for the poor . . . is a part of her constant tradition." This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor. Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working to "be able to give to those in need."
If the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and the hated are all blessed, then why should anyone attempt to help them improve their lot? The answer is that there is a difference between choosing poverty and being plunged into it without one’s choice due to an unjust socio-political situation. Millions are starving, persecuted, homeless, and leading hopeless lives. The only way the promises of the Beatitudes can become a reality for them is through our effort. Blessed Mother Teresa and her Sisters have accepted this challenge and demonstrated that we can “live the beatitudes” in the modern world. Hence, let us remember that each time we reach out to help the needy, the sick, and the oppressed, we share a foretaste of the promises of the beatitudes here and now.
Recently, Pope, United States Bishops, and Wisconsin Catholic Bishops published letters on immigration. Wisconsin Bishops quotes the Gospel of Matthew 25:35,40 and says, “The Catholic Church’s position on immigration is based in the Gospel. Our Lord Jesus Christ insisted that when we welcome the stranger, we welcome Him.” It is about living the beatitude.
Every Mass is the expression of beatitudes. Jesus came to be with us and gave us Eucharist, his very life. Then he sends us out to live those gifts in our daily surroundings. We may not wipe out poverty from the entire world, but we can make a difference through our efforts. Let us ask God to bless us in the celebration of the Eucharist so that we can live the beatitudes.