Gospel

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."

Reflection

The interesting thing about this passage is that we see Jesus going up the mountain, and rather than waiting for him to come back, the disciples go to him and he gives them an insight, an awareness of the fullness of what it's like to be a follower of his. The complexity, the paradoxes.

And then he makes it clear. Just realize. Accept all of this and then rejoice. If you live this way, you are in the kingdom, and you will draw others to the kingdom.

Closing Prayer

Father, you've promised the kingdom of God to us. And what you keep saying over and over again, it's not something that we ourselves create, it's not something that we can achieve on our own. But it's constantly reminding us to surrender to everything that is happening to us. So we continue to never lose hope, always to be fervent in belief that the kingdom is coming. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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