Matthew 5:1-12a

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

1 John 3:1-3

Matthew 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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, guide me along the path that leads to true beatitude, to eternal life with you. Help me to overcome the temptation to seek primarily the fleeting happiness that comes from wealth and pleasure. May I truly imitate your Son, the Incarnation of the Beatitudes!

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Eightfold Path to Happiness: Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that there is an eightfold path to happiness or blessedness. If we want to be happy, we need to seek spiritual poverty instead of riches, offer up our suffering instead of seeking disordered pleasure, grow in meekness and humility instead of pride, seek righteousness instead of earthly honors, be merciful instead of envious, be pure of heart instead of duplicitous, be a peacemaker instead of a divider, and accept persecution due to our faith in Christ. This path to true happiness is most definitely a paradox. We do not normally think that those who mourn or that those who are persecuted are happy. The world wants us to accept a great lie and equate happiness with wealth, power, and pleasure. Jesus, by contrast, wants us to see how humility, docility to the Spirit, trust in the Father’s care, justice, peace, purity, and mercy are the hallmarks of true happiness. Today, the Church invites us to contemplate the saints as models of those who followed Jesus’ eightfold path to happiness. We need to learn how we, with our unique personalities and lives, are called to the same holiness.

2. Salvation comes from our God and the Lamb: The Second Reading, from the Book of Revelation, is a reminder that our salvation and blessedness are not something we achieve through our efforts alone. Salvation is, first of all, a divine gift. This means that it is unmerited. In fact, we did nothing to earn the grace we received in Baptism. Revelation 7:3 references how we have been sealed by God and protected from evil through Baptism. The waters of Baptism are how we become members of God’s people and how we are adopted into God’s family as his sons and daughters (Barber, Coming Soon, 107). When John, the author of the Book of Revelation, contemplates those who have been saved and dwell with God in the blessedness of heaven, he first sees 144,000. This number symbolizes a righteous remnant from the 12 tribes of Israel who have been saved. John then sees a great innumerable multitude from the Gentile nations. The saints from the 12 tribes and the Gentiles carry palm branches because they are celebrating their admittance into the heavenly Temple (Barber, Coming Soon, 112). They wear white robes because they have been delivered from the great tribulation.

3. We are God’s Children Now: The First Letter of John contemplates the great mystery of our divine adoption. Through our Baptism, we are now God’s children. This is an awesome gift, and yet something greater awaits us at the end of our earthly lives. Here, on earth, we walk by faith and often stumble as we walk along the eightfold path of the beatitudes. In heaven, our faith in God will give way to the vision of God: “for we shall see him as he is.” Here, on earth, we are drawn toward God by our hope in his promises. Not only do we hope in the promise of eternal life, but also in the promise that God will give us, through his Son, what we need to attain eternal life.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, bring me to trust in your Word today. I struggle to see how poverty, mourning, and meekness lead to happiness. I need to overcome my selfish tendencies and look to the needs of those around me. Help me to see and serve you in the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the poor, and the sick.

Living the Word of God: Which of the eight beatitudes do I need to put into practice the most? What does that beatitude look like in everyday life?