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.” **Mat 5:1-12
“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.” **Mat 5:1-12
In this gospel, Jesus tells us what the core of our faith is as love of God and man.
Reflect this week on someone in your family, work or elsewhere who you have great difficulty in loving. Take time to lift that person up in prayer and make an effort to show love to them by meeting thier needs in some way. Remember that love is a choice that we make.
Jesus is teaching us about the road to holiness. He tells us of God's great love for those who are suffering. He tells us that He calls us to work for the kingdom. He teaches us to radically love our persecuters. The road to holiness is lined with suffering, work and persecution. Doesn't sound so appealing does it? The world would tell us this is terrible, we deserve better. But God challenges us to have faith and follow His ways and He promises us great joy. If you have any doubt just read about the saints!
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Lenora