Bloggers note: A must read -study
with Transcript
.
below is the reading and the homily
a reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
when Jesus saw the crowds he went up the
mountain
and after he sat down his disciples came
to him
then he began to speak and taught them
saying
blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Heaven blessed are those who mourn for
they will be comforted
blessed are the meek
for they will inherit the earth
blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness
for they will be filled
blessed are they merciful
for They will receive Mercy
blessed are the pure in heart
for they will see God
blessed are the peacemakers
for they will be called children of God
blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness sake
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
blessed are you when people revile you
and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you
falsely on my account rejoice and be
glad for your reward is great in heaven
or in the same way
they persecuted the prophets who were
before you
the gospel of the Lord
blessed are you
blessed are those
blessed are the
blessed
20 centuries ago
on a hillside
a man who has already proclaimed the
Kingdom of Heaven is near
offers his followers a choice
if anyone wants to be his disciple
then all their thoughts and actions must
be guided by him
this good news he has come to bring
means that we if we so choose
are called to be difference makers
bringing out the best in ourselves our
families and our communities
we shine light
in areas of Darkness
we fight the temptation to be silenced
and glossed over
these are the people we are to become
not attached to things
as we work to alleviate real poverty
those who grieve
feel the loss of the others we struggle
with
non-violent and gentle
never satisfied with the way that things
are
we are to number ourselves among the
compassionate and merciful
working for justice even when we are
misunderstood lied about and misjudged
we are prophets
who refuse to back down even when we are
threatened or harmed
we see what is normal In a Different
Light
we advocate for a new way of living
and strive to bring the gospel into the
personal
social
spiritual economic and political
we generate hope in all things
and create a new future
let's imagine being there 20 centuries
ago
imagine what it would be like to hear
these Beatitudes
so familiar now that even non-christians
can recite them by heart
hearing them for the very first time
we are oppressed
living under Roman occupation
barely making out a living
and now something profound and
life-changing is being told to us
we are being told who we should be
who we really want to be
but to make of Our Lives
whether we are young and just starting
out
whether we are in the middle of our
lives and still have a lot of life left
whether we are in the sunset of life and
still have time to fulfill our mission
what is it that we are hearing
what is it that is being said to us
what is being told to us
when we hear blessed are you
blessed are those
blessed are the
bless it
and while we are free to make a choice
at the same time as we do we must know
that Jesus has already proclaimed
Kingdom of Heaven is knee
there's an old saying that heaven is in
great shape
Earth
is where the problems are
but we don't abandon God's creation
we don't raise our hands and surrender
we don't point to all the concerns and
troubles and say that there is nothing
we can do
in order to do what Jesus is asking us
and we have the choice to listen to him
or not
but if we choose to follow Jesus
these Beatitudes are no longer optional
we must consider this
do we realize that there are all kinds
of people in the world today
long to complain about what we complain
about
because then they would have so little
to complain about
we who are blessed
live in relative affluence
must remind our children that we are the
happiest when we trust in God rather
than in our stuff
that we are measured not by our resume
but our character
and we never confuse security with cheap
and passing thrills
all around us people are asking where is
God
how can I know God
they believe for a whole host of reasons
that God is absent today
we can help them find God
the same time deepen our own
relationship with God
whenever we remember this
blessed are you
blessed are those
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