At the core of the Gospel of St. Matthew are eight beatitudes. Although Jesus revealed their content only to a small group of his disciples, he wants everyone to learn them (teaching from the top of a mountain indicates that). At first glance, some of the beatitudes might not be clear (Who are the poor in spirit?) or might be hard to accept (Why are those who mourn blessed?). It might be helpful to find possible clarifications for those questions in biblical commentaries.
Whereas the ten commandments define areas of sinfulness and can be kept by being passive (the list of don’t’s), the living of Jesus’ manifesto demands a lot of spiritual formation, since it contradicts the prevailing insistence on becoming powerful and rich. The second reading reiterates that point: “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong”.
We should frequently examine how we live the beatitudes. We might focus on just one of them. For example, we might praise the peacemakers, and ask ourselves whether we have done enough to foster peace, on many levels: internal peace, peace in our families, peace in our local communities, and peace among nations. Let us thank God for all those around us whose goodness inspires us to follow Jesus more closely.
Fr. Toni Baranowski, SJ
