the 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."
the scribble
The Beatitudes. A first look at this word and it already sounds like a positive and pleasant word, doesn’t it? Then out of pure curiosity I looked it up and discovered that it means a state of blessedness, supreme happiness, bliss, or great joy. How satisfying!
The gospel today is about The Beatitudes. The weight of the passage lies not only in words like poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers, and persecuted, but also in the good news, gifts, or blessings attached to the said words and phrases. They are so impactful that to be the recipients of these beatitudes from Jesus can fill us with awe and a certain amount of peace that no one or nothing could ever shake. By the way, happy was used synonymously with blessed in other Bible versions.
Happy are the people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Matthew 5:1-3, Common English Bible
Happy or blessed, they both convey God’s loving grace. However, certain words do evoke more feelings and more effect on us, don’t they? Now which of the two resonates well with you? Which of the beatitudes is significantly relevant in your life right now? Another important question is, who exactly are the people that Jesus referred to that day, at the top of the mountain?
I would like to specify three groups in particular and add a bit more insight about them.
Poor in spirit. Are these the spiritually humble, yearning for God because they believe that only God can make them rich in spirit? Perhaps. They do not act superior and think they will be the only ones who will be saved because they follow all the commandments or have memorized all the laws. Instead, they are those who acknowledge that they do not have all the answers and cannot have salvation unless they surrender to the Almighty.
Merciful. Oh yes, these people are those who are very compassionate, especially to the less fortunate and those at the bottom of the ladder. In addition, the merciful are those who: 1. can forgive easily; 2. can forgive despite the immense and terrible damage and pain inflicted on them; and 3. can still forgive even if the wrongdoers do not deserve to be forgiven. Now 2 and 3 seem very, very hard to do.
Peacemakers. To be a peacemaker means to advocate friendship, to build bridges instead walls, or to foster mutual respect among individuals. A lover of peace is one who does not listen to one party badmouthing another only to spread the message of the said party to others. A promoter of peace ensures that badmouthing stops right there and then because of him or her. He or she aims to spread love and positivity, not hate and negativity.
Today’s gospel is one of the clearest and most detailed promises of God to us. It gives us solace, knowing that if we are suffering here on earth, God will ease away our heartaches and replace them with healing and comfort. On the other hand, if we are not suffering but are actively and consistently sowing kindness and charity everywhere, God will certainly reward us accordingly or more, more than we could ever ask for.
Father God, thank you so much for the beatitudes. We will keep them and live them as much as we could, for as long as we could. Amen.
Today’s devotion was written by Edwina Yu
