Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way."

Reflection

The Beatitudes are such a familiar part of the gospel that when we hear them read during the liturgy we can easily miss their meaning. The message they contain may take a lifetime to learn, but unless we take it to heart there will be no entry into the kingdom of heaven. They explain how to spend this life in order to attain everlasting happiness in heaven. Following Christ is not meant to be easy and it is a challenge we must face every day. We are invited to do things that do not come naturally to us like being humble, showing mercy and opening our hearts to those in need. On the surface, the gospel might appear to be a plea for poverty as a value to be sought for its own sake but as a means to giving us greater freedom to follow Christ without compromise.

If we take Jesus seriously, we will come to realise power and affluence are two of the greatest threats to the christian way of life. We live in a world which praises efficiency, glorifies success and worships power. Society announces that happiness comes from wealth, affluence and freedom from any form of pain. The trouble with reliance on such material resources to bring happiness is that, in the final analysis, it does not work. The truth is we have not got a steady grip on life, for death is a reality which has always plagued the human race. Even if all other problems were suitably resolved we would still have a contend with death. Jesus is not against our striving for true happiness; but he bluntly warns us against putting our trust in material comforts because, in the long run, it will turn out to be a misplaced confidence. There is more to life than superficial passing things.

We are created to share God's joy, and anything that calls us away from this goal is not good for us The message contained in this gospel is both severe and challenging because it is at odds with our customary way of thinking. Many of us who profess Jesus to be our Saviour, live life without any thought for our religious beliefs. As we face the task of developing a proper relationship with God, we are frightened by the deep demands which the beatitudes make on us. We are called not to worship wealth, food or comfort, but to worship the God who alone can grant us all good things.

from Homilies and Prayers of the Faithful for the Three-Year Cycle
by Desmond Knowles
Paulines Publication