Forwarded by a friend on 2-11-2020 for meditation.
Today is solemnity of All Saints.
Jesus teaching: the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12; Luke 6:20-23)
- Jesus went up the mountain, sat down, many people gathered around him and began to teach. Jesus taught ways to live in order to be truly happy.
The Beatitudes: Jesus said
- Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven
- to be poor in spirit is to depend on God first. Happy are those who don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy. Sometimes we worry about who we are, about what others think or say about us, and about what we have or don’t have. If we worry too much about these things, it can separate us from God.
- those who are poor in spirit depend on God’s first, and trust that He provides us with what we really need.
We don’t aim for materials things to give us happiness. We realise materials things don’t bring real joy only God does.
- Blessed are they who mourn for they will be comforted.
- to mourn is to be sad because people are unkind to one another.
- those who mourn are sorry for the hurt of others.
- those who mourn work to make others happy and work to make the world better for all.
- God comforts those who mourn. They experience the joy and richness of God’s love.
- Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
- to be meek means to be kind and gentle. It doesn’t mean letting people take advantage of you. It means being kind in words and actions. And using God’s gifts for others.
- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
- to hunger and thirst for righteousness means to share with those in need. Righteousness means fairness and justice.
- have you ever been really hungry? Your stomach rumbles and growls. With each sound, your head pounds with pain. All you can think of is filling that hunger and making the pain go away.
- for those who hunger and thirst righteousness, fairness and justice is food, no one can live without it.
- those who hunger and thirst are assured that God’s will shall be done.
- Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.
- to be merciful is to be forgiving to those who hurt us.
- the merciful offer forgiveness, no matter what another really deserves.
- Mercy means choosing not to punish or react.
- God’s mercy towards us is like this. He is our Father who forgives and wraps us in His love.
… Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…
As God is merciful to us, so we should show the same mercy towards others.
- Blessed are the pure (clean) of Heart for they will see God.
- to be clean of heart means to be free of selfishness. Do good not for personal gain.
- pure and selfless giving is an act of love. It brings happiness to all.
- Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.
- to be a peacemaker means to help bring God’s peace to the world. Making peace is a noble task, but it can be a challenge. When someone makes you mad, it is easy to strike back. Peacemakers choose ways to resolve a problem without violence.
- By following Jesus’ example of love, the peacemakers become children of God.
- Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for their is the kingdom of heaven.
- to be persecuted means to suffer unfair treatment for following Jesus.
- there will always be someone to tell you they think you’re wrong when you choose Jesus’ way for happiness. They might make fun of you for choosing love, peace, mercy and justice. This can be uncomfortable, but Jesus says those who choose His ways will receive heaven as their reward.
“Rejoice and be Glad, for your reward will be great in heaven”
To sum up: those who are meek humble and merciful, Jesus called them Blessed. The church called them Saint.
We are all born not a saint but we are called to become one with God’s Grace.
The saint has a past, a sinner and a future.