Monday of 10th week, even numbered year 6th June 2016
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted! Blessed are the gentle, for they shall have the earth in heritance.”
At the time of Jesus’ preaching, the word ’poor’ had a long history in the tradition of his people. Jesus is speaking to all those who have a heart that is poor enough to find themselves little before God, with open hands to receiver from Him alone strength and hope.
Jesus is speaking to the whole of humanity, to all hose who have enough o live on and to those who don’t have what it needs to live on. He says to them : ’Keep a poor heart’ before your sisters and brothers and before God.
In each person Jesus sees someone who is in need of love, to be loved, to be forgiven, to be saved. The poor are a way of humanity, a way towards God.
The Beatitudes are the markings of the face of Christ of Mary’s face. They are the markings of the Church’s face, the face of each one of us.
Jesus shines forth with the Beatitudes, Mary too found her blossoming forth of her face.
In this amazing unity of the New Adam and of the new Eve there is a new humanity being drawn up. This ’identity’ is from now on our own. Our Christian identity photo is in the text of the Beatitudes, this is where we find our ’face’.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall have their fill; Blessed are the merciful, for they shall have mercy shown to them; Blessed ae the pure in heart for they shall see Go; Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called sons of God.”
God loves mankind just as he is, and he loves each person so much that he is unable to put them into categories! We are the one who make divisions, who refuse and who exclude. We judge because of outward signs. God sees the
heart, for one cannot be rich with a heart of a poor person, nor poor with the heart of a rich person.
In a world where social relationships have become hardened, we can more or less have the temptation to close our doors to those who are different to ourselves ; and we willingly put up barriers where Christ had passed to destroy them. It even comes about that hatred parasites the heart of the Christian his desire of evangelical justice and freedom. And this is why different beatitudes comes and make a precision about those of the poor in heart. This entrance into the Beatitudes is an entrance into a happiness which will know no end : it is the belonging to God’s Kingdom. In faith our life is from now on hidden in Christ’s.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted in the name of righteousness : the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven ; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.”
Jesus has taken on our human flesh, if he has come amongst us, it is to make of us children who are tenderly loved by the Heart of our Father. We walk with Jesus towards the fullness of a happiness that is Infinite and which ill blossom for ever more in heaven.
Blessed are the gentle, those who refuse to want to have power, those who accept to combat without any hate, those who know not to abuse their strength, those who always leave a space for others to be free and te means to go beyond themselves.
The freshness of the Gospel brings us back to the realism of baptised people, confirmed in he Holy Spirit, at the basis of truth and filial welcome of what God does, of mercy towards the world.
The beatitudes are a marvellous school of spiritual life! God has come in human flesh. We contemplate the Holy Spirit, this amazing Love of God at work in humanity in his immense poverty.