Are we really convinced and feel truly blessed when we are poor and powerless? Are we truly happy when we are indeed hungry, weeping and hurting? Do we rejoice for being hated and rejected by others because we live honestly and justly?
It would truly be difficult to reconcile these contrasting life situations. A student once shared to me a conversation she had with her grandmother. In her innocence and directness expressed her anguish, “Lola, why are we so poor? It is so tiring to be poor. Will we ever be rich?” The Lola responded to her, “It’s okay. God loves and favors the poor.”
To a child who does not have the perks and privileges of being born in an affluent family would surely begin to question the difficult life of being poor and underprivileged. Such response is surely difficult to understand.
Yet, the response of her Lola is certainly the message of the Gospel. God loves and favors the poor. This is the reason why the Beatitude of Jesus begins with “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.” This first line of the Beatitude already set the favor of God upon those who are less fortunate such as the hungry, those who are weeping and hurting, and those who are rejected and insulted because of living the faith truly.
From the perspective of wealth, comfort and power, God seemed to be unfair because the Lord favors the other. Yet, it is not that way. The Lord favors the poor and the weak because of what lies in the heart. Only when we are weak, poor, and powerless that the heart recognizes the need for God. The heart truly longs for God’s presence.
However, when the heart becomes rich, powerful and comfortable, it also becomes self-contained, arrogant and indifferent. Hence, the heart does not need God and even rejects God. No wonder why Jesus’ words bring warning to those who have become rich, powerful and comfortable, “woe to you.”
In a country plagued by plunder and corruption, dishonesty in public works and blatant abuse of power and public office, Jesus’ warning echoes to every generation. Woe to you for you will go hungry! Woe to you for you will grieve and weep!
Yet, Paul calls us in his Letter to the Colossians, “Put to death the parts that are earthly; immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed…as well as anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language.” All of these make us separate from God and from others. What Paul calls us is to “put on a new self” in Christ and leave the old self that corrupts.
Putting this new self in Christ, as St. Paul tells us, requires us to “seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” To seek what is above is to seek the Kingdom of God. And now we realize that the Kingdom of God rests in those hearts that embraces humility and vulnerability, in recognizing our poverty and powerlessness.
This is how God favors the poor and the week, those weeping and hurting because the Lord is already in their hearts. This calls us to indeed “rejoice and leap for joy.” Hinaut pa.
How do we understand being Blessed? We usually think of a life that is blessed on the level of having material wealth, success, prosperity – like having a good family, a prosperous business, a successful career or a good paying job, or having a good health. We also believe that being blessed has something to do with having power and influence that a person possesses, with privileges and perks that we enjoy.
Thus, as it was in the ancient times and until today, poverty is never a blessing, being in sorrow and in grief is never a blessing. Being powerless and oppressed, being sick, being rejected and persecuted is never a blessing. If we are experiencing such life, we consider ourselves to be cursed, weak and insignificant.
However, the readings this Sunday are quite opposite from the standard of being blessed that we usually believe. Our human understanding of being blessed is different from God. Indeed, there is a need for us to understand being blessed and our life as Christians from Jesus’ perspective.
The Gospel of Matthew gave us that perspective of Jesus that the Lord wants us to recognize and to learn. Matthew tells us that Jesus saw the crowds. Not just a crowd but crowds of people composed of groups of poor and rich, Pharisees, Sadducees and common Jews, sick and old, men, women, children, beggars, merchants, pickpockets and spectators, his own disciples and others who followed him faithfully.
And Jesus saw the many realities of the people of his time. What he saw was not just limited with what can be seen from the outside. Jesus saw and realized the anguish of the people and the cause of their miseries perpetrated by those who took advantage of the weak and powerless. Jesus saw and realized how the social evils of greed, hatred, and indifference contributed to the senseless sufferings of the people. Jesus saw and realized how the people felt abandoned, in need of mercy and love, in search of justice and salvation, longing for a blessed life.
This prompted Jesus to express what he saw and what was in the heart of God for His people. Jesus began to teach while sitting on a mountain which gave him the perspective of the Father. This Sermon on the Mount, as this is commonly called, is indeed quite symbolic. From this symbolism of Jesus teaching from the mount, the Lord evokes a different perspective of being blessed. Not anymore from our human perspective and standard, but from God’s eyes.
In God’s perspective, the blessed ones are those who are poor, who are mourning and sick, the humble and unassuming, the powerless and merciful, those who are contented in life and those who are persecuted. But why? It is because in their poverty and difficulty, in their powerlessness and nothingness that they also realize their dependence and need of God. Indeed, such insecurities in life bring us to understand that we are so small in this world and we are in need of God’s grace. That is why, Jesus addressed these Beatitudes to the people, assuring them of his presence and assuring them of a blessed life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Though the Kingdom is to be fully manifested later, yet, being blessed is already experienced in the here and now.
Thus, the very presence of God in our life is what makes us “blessed.” Since God favors those who are weak, poor, suffering, the sick and struggling in life, they are the ones who are blessed because they understand their dependence and need of God. God comes to us when we are ready to accept God in our life and to let God be our God there in our poverty and weaknesses.
This is what Prophet Zephaniah reminds us in the first reading to seek the Lord which can only be possible through a humble heart that recognizes God’s presence and power. An arrogant and self-satisfied heart will never acknowledge God and thus, can be very vicious to people around.
“God comes to us when we are ready to accept God in our life and to let God be our God there in our poverty and weaknesses.”
Moreover, Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians expressed powerfully the wisdom and favor of God. He says to us, “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something.”
This indeed is a warning to those who in the standard of the world are blessed such as the self-satisfied and self-absorbed, the corruption-driven-rich, the powerful, the popular and the influential. Why? It is because the danger lies in the attitude of the heart that becomes independent from God, a heart that rejects God’s mercy and love. In fact, the Lord warns us when we tend to accumulate more wealth for ourselves at the expense of the poor, or when we gather fame and influence at the expense of others.
Such attitude of the heart is filled with arrogance and self-centeredness that has no need of God. True enough, when we are so filled with ourselves and too satisfied of what we have gained and achieved, we don’t need God anymore. Our successes and we, ourselves, have become ‘gods.’ This leads us to worship our achievements, wealth, our power and ourselves. But then, all of these will corrupt us because we will never be satisfied. We will thirst and hunger for more wealth, recognition and fame which will also lead to our own destruction and those who are around us and those blocking our way to gain for more.
Thus, through these Beatitudes, God invites us to claim that we are blessed and can bless others even when we are poor and insecure, in grief and in search for justice, in need of mercy and in showing mercy.
This also calls us that as we understand being blessed in God’s perspective, then, the material wealth that we have gained, the influence and fame that we have received and the successes that we have achieved are signs of God’s grace and generosity. When we have these, may it lead us to humble ourselves and to recognize that these are gifts and we ought to share them to others. Thus, if you have received much, share the blessing to those who are in need. If you are enjoying success in life, share the experience with those who failed. If you have power and influence over others, then, use them to liberate the oppressed and to work for justice. If you have been shown mercy despite your sins, then, let that mercy flow in your relationships by becoming merciful to others. It is in this way that the Kingdom of Heaven will truly be present among us, and that we ourselves will not just be blessed but will also be a blessing to our community. Kabay pa.
(This article is not a usual weekday homily as one may find this too long. This was first used as a recollection material given to a group Redemptorist Seminarians.)
As we live our Christian vocation and commit ourselves to Jesus, the Redeemer, we encounter both joys and sorrows in our life. We also encounter temptations and challenges as disciples of Jesus. The world that we live in, the environment that we are situated with both provides challenges and opportunities for growth in our commitment to God and to our Christian Faith.
It would be very good then to make ourselves aware of the dynamics present in our world and in particular, in our small environment. It would be advantage to examine and be made aware of the “value systems of the modern world” that offers easy and comfortable alternative for us in living our Religious and missionary vocation and Christian Vocation in general.
But then, we should also ask honestly ourselves, will these value systems bring me closer to myself, to my neighbors and to God? Or will they only lead me farther?
These are the Value Systems of the Modern World.
Happy are the rich and powerful, those who possess plenty because they can have whatever they want and do things instantly.
Happy are the popular and pompous because they all have the praises and attention of everyone now.
Happy are those who do not care of other people’s suffering for they will not be affected by such trouble.
Happy are those who only stay in their own comfort zones and do not dare to give them up for they feel secured there.
Happy are the aggressive; for they will get anything they want, no matter what.
Happy are the proud and the arrogant because inferior people will bow on them.
Happy are the bullies and haters because they will have a lot of fun over other people’s pain and weaknesses.
Happy are those who do not speak up and stand up for justice, who choose not to see and hear oppression and injustice for their lives will be out of trouble and there will be no persecution from the powerful.
These value systems are, indeed, attractive and tempting because they promise security but false security. They seemingly promise comfort and happiness for a moment but nothing for tomorrow. These values keep us away from becoming true disciples of Jesus. These are rather values of an UNBELIEVER, a secular person who rejects God’s goodness and the beauty and wonder of his/her neighbor.
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Let me share with you THIS REFLECTION ON the Sermon on the Mount by Sharla Guenther
We use the word bless a lot but perhaps we don’t know what it really means.
If someone sneezes we usually hear someone say, “bless you!” It is not completely clear why we say that but the word ‘bless’ is a positive word.
Jesus had been walking with his disciples always teaching and talking with them. More and more people would see Jesus and follow him because they could sense there was something special about him. The way he spoke and what he spoke about captured everyone’s attention.
This was one of those days when people had been following and Jesus decided to stop on a hillside with his disciples and taught those who wanted to listen.
Jesus made ten points in the first part of his sermon known as the beatitudes. All except one of these points start with the word blessed. So we should probably figure out what the word means before we continue.
Life does not always go our way, or the way we plan and expect it to be. Because of this, it does not make us happy. However, being blessed is being full of joy on the inside even if things are not perfect. Being blessed is to be grateful in life even if there are also things or aspect in our life that may seem to be lacking.
Thus, to be blessed is a deeper joy because we know, as believers, that the spirit of God lives in us.
Now let us see each one the Beatitudes and the invitations for us.
Blessed are those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Being poor in spirit means that we are not attached to all the stuff that we have. That you understand that God has given you all the great things or blessings and we should be very thankful and even willing to give them up or share them with others. All our things on earth do not matter because we cannot take them with us to heaven, which will be more amazing than we can imagine.
To be poor in spirit also means to become confident in the providence of God, in his grace upon us. It invites us then to grow in that confidence but at the same time also to embrace the feeling of our insecurity. Hence, it is okay to feel inadequate, to feel our poverty, to feel our emptiness and lacking in something. Remember, it is when we are empty that God can also fill us. God will not be able to fill us up when we are already full of many things.
Chairman Cha in a K-Drama entitled Clean with Passion For Now, said, “To fill up, you must be empty and in order to grab, you must let go.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourning is when we are really sad. Perhaps you have cried because you got hurt or someone you knew died, but this is different from that. This is being very upset about those people who have not heard about God or being upset about the sin in our life. We might not think about these things very much yet but as we get closer to God this will bother us and that’s okay. God promises to comfort us when we need it.
To mourn and be sorrowful of our personal sins is not about ‘being guilty.’ Guilt only leads us away from the mercy of God and from the chance of renewing our life. Guilt makes us imprisoned of our own failures and sins. To mourn is to be truly sorry of our sins with the intention to be transformed by God. To mourn accepts God’s forgiveness and allowing ourselves to be led and transformed by God in the way God want’s us to be.
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Being meek is being patient and gentle, not easily angered and not thinking of ourselves too highly. A bad example of this in the Bible was the Pharisees. They would make sure people knew that they were fasting and praying and seemed proud about what they were doing for God. Except God is looking for us to do these things without putting on a show for others but doing it just for God, not for approval from others.
This is an invitation for us to grow in humility, to seek God’s favor and not our own favor, to seek God’s glory and not our personal glory. Our person, our talents, intelligence and many gifts are not instruments to merely boast oneself but ways for us to recognize better our God, the giver of gifts. Thus, be mindful when we will tend to draw attention and recognition from others, when we become conscious of our self-image that we also become arrogant and worst will refuse to be corrected or criticized by our friends.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled. Being righteous is impossible on our own. Can we always do the right for God? No, and God knows that. We can do our best to do the right thing and if we don’t, we can always ask forgiveness and be renewed. The verse not only asks us to try to be righteous but to hunger and thirst for it. Have you ever been really hungry and thirsty? To be truly hungry and thirsty you might have to go without food or water for more than a day or two. God wants us to need and feel like we’re starving for righteousness and He will fill us up with it.
This invites not to remain passive in our baptismal vows but to live our vows pro-actively. It means that we are called to exercise righteousness with full consciousness. Yet, let us also remember that at times we may fall asleep, but then, be always aware of your attitudes so that you will also be able to wake up again. In other words, make it your heart’s desire to live your Christian life with honesty, sincerity and gratitude.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. To have mercy is to be loving and kind to others. This does not mean just being loving and kind to your family and friends but also to those whom you might not know and even those you don’t like. Those who are ready to forgive the offense of others, shall be forgiven. The merciful tastes the forgiveness of sins and innumerable blessings of this life.
This invites us to always exercise mercy as the hallmark of our Christian vocation in the way we relate with ourselves, with our family and friends and enemies. This calls us more when we are ask to show mercy to those who have offended us or who have sinned against us.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Being pure is like having a clean heart. Like the heart inside of us, it pumps blood and keeps us alive and if something is wrong with our heart, we won’t work right. Jesus is talking about the place where we think and make decisions, why we do things, and our thoughts. If we keep our mind, thoughts and decisions full of good, God says we’ll understand Him more as we see Him better in all things and in every people we meet. This is a call for sincerity in our words, deeds and piety.
This invites us now to examine our intentions and motivations. What is really in my heart now? What is it that keeps me going? Or what is it that prevents me from accepting myself fully and welcoming God in my life? Or what is it that keeps me bothering now, which disturbs me a lot? Hopefully, in treating those questions, they too will lead us in purifying our intentions so that we too shall see God clearly, ever working in our lives.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. The simplest way to explain this is someone who makes peace. Helping others to get along would be a big part of it. The second part of this beatitude says: then you will be called the children of God. Being God’s child would mean that you truly are a part of God’s family and that you’re starting to be more like Him; just like when we are with our parents. This is an assurance that God is indeed our Father for God is a God of peace.
This invites us too to seek peace in our hearts and minds, peace in ourselves. If we do not have peace, then, how can we become peacemakers? What we can only give is that something we have at present. Thus, seek peace, let God give you that peace so that in return then, you too will be able to make peace with others and inspire others for peace.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. God knows that being who He wants us to be is not the way the world acts. By doing the opposite of the world we will be made fun of or worst, because people don’t understand why we don’t do things only for ourselves. By living a life that does things for others confuses the way the world thinks. A lot of people in the world want beauty, money, fame and attention and don’t care about others as long as they get what they want. This is opposite to the life God wants us to lead. Doing the right thing isn’t easy but God wants us to know that the kingdom of heaven is waiting for us if we can get through the tough times in this life.
It invites us now to always seek God’s desire for us, God’s desire for me. God’s desire may not be popular. God’s desire for us may be different from what others desire for us or from our own desire. Always seek that and be ready to let go of other desires because it is in following God’s desire that we shall also find the fulfillment. But remember this, in seeking and following God’s desire, others may not like it or we may not like it too, we might be facing oppositions from our friends and family and even our very selves.
God calls us to be different than the rest of the world.
The beatitudes end by saying that we should rejoice and be glad because by following these we will receive great treasures in heaven.
God promises that we will be blessed when we follow these teachings but it won’t be easy. We all are still figuring out how to do these things, but don’t be discouraged. God calls us to be different than the rest of the world.
Keep in mind that the beatitudes are impossible to do without God’s help. He wants to help us and to become a big part of decisions you make and in all that you do. Give to God, then, that opportunity to work in you and through you.
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Remember, Jesus didn’t give us these beatitudes and then wants us to fail. He wants to give us something to aim for. He wants us to do our best and give us a life full of blessings not just for tomorrow in heaven but even today.
For a deeper reflection, let this contemporary interpretation on the Beatitudes challenge and lead us closer to the Lord.
Jesus’ Beatitudes Today
Blessed are you who recognize your need of God because you will give yourself to the providence of God’s love to direct your life.
Blessed are you who feels sorrow for your sins against God and your brothers and sisters and to repent, because you will find true comfort from God’s loving forgiveness.
Blessed are you who choose not to live by your selfish tendencies but will give yourself to God because you will find and have the important things in your life.
Blessed are you when you truly desire to please God and not others or yourself alone because that deepest desire of yours will be fulfilled.
Blessed are you who love, care, serve others, heal the wounded and comfort the sorrowful because you too will surely be shown mercy.
Blessed are you as you dedicate your life sincerely in doing the will of God because in that pursuit you will have a deeper understanding of being God’s beloved.
Blessed are you who strive to promote peace and reconciliation because you yourself will become a witness and instrument of God.
Blessed are you when you stand for what is right, just and true even in the midst of accusations, insults and persecutions because you will have an everlasting joy with God.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 