10.06.2024 – St. Patrick Catholic Church, Largo, FL

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The life of blessedness

1Kings 17:1-6, Psalm 120, Matthew 5:1-12

Yesterday we read the Gospel of Mark where Jesus declared clearly that “whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Today, we read one of most popular passages from the Gospels: The beatitude. When Jesus saw the crowd, “he opened his mouth and taught them.” The word beatitude literally means “happiness” or “blessedness.” We all yearn for happiness. And what consists in true happiness and blessedness? What does it mean to be happy? Jesus addresses this question. The heart of Jesus’ message is that we can live a very happy life. The call to holiness, to be saints who joyfully pursue God’s will for their lives, can be found in these beatitudes. The beatitudes sum up our calling or vocation.

Jesus tells us that God alone can satisfy the deepest need and longing of our heart – the yearning for true happiness. St. Teresa of Avila has this famous prayer: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things pass – God never changes. Patience achieves all it strives for. Whoever has God lacks nothing -God alone suffices.” God offers us the greatest good possible – abundant life in Jesus Christ (John 10:10) and the promise of unending joy and happiness with God forever.

The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to the world’s understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? However, poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God’s word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and spiritual oppression.

We might also describe the beatitudes as a blended character-portrait. When Jesus spoke those beatitudes, he was painting a portrait of himself, and of what he hopes from his disciples. He is poor in spirit and depends on the Father for everything; he is gentle and compassionate; he mourns when God’s will is not being done on earth as in heaven; he hungers and thirst for justice, for what God wants, and suffers to bring that about; he is merciful to the sinner; he has a purity of heart, wanting what God wants; he works to bring peace between God and humanity and among human beings.

In painting this word-portrait of himself in the beatitude, Jesus was also showing what his followers should aim to be. It is our portrait, and we are called to try and fit that portrait. We cannot become the person of the beatitudes on our own; we need the help of the Holy Spirit who works within us to mold us into the image and likeness of Christ.

Over the years these words of Jesus have inspired so many great men and women. But what is so transformative about these verses? The depth of these verses will only be understood by those who are poor or those who are willing to become poor to serve others. There are people who become anxious about finding shelter in the next rain or winter. They will understand what it means to be promised of a shelter in the kingdom of heaven. Some are anxious about where the next meal for their children will come from. They will understand what it means to be promised of a time when they will not cry anymore. There are people who live under the scare of bombs and gunshots on a daily basis, where going to the shabby supermarket across the street is a walk between life and death. They understand what it means to have peace. When we are spared from the miseries of poverty, war, and violence, we are indeed blessed on earth. However, the Sermon on the Mount calls us to action, not to ignore but to reach out to those who go through these miseries. It is through our empathy and action that we can become peace-makers and the Blessed of God.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains: from where shall come my help?” Asks the Psalmist. He responds: “My help shall come from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” This Psalm is a profound prayer of faith and confidence in the providence of God. May the Lord guard our going out and coming in as we begin this new week. May he guard us from every evil and save us eternal damnation. May the celebration of the Eucharist this morning, our encounter with God present in this holy assembly increase our hunger for Him and show us the way that leads to everlasting peace and happiness. May we desire God above all else and find perfect joy in doing his will.