Blessed are you - Mt 5: 1-12a
The Church arranged the liturgical calendar in such a way that on November 1 we celebrate the solemnity of all saints, and the next day, November 2 - The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls). Why? And why in this order? The answer is simple: therefore, to have a proper perspective of looking, let's say specifically: to have a proper perspective of death. It is natural that death causes us sadness, fear and terror. And when we think about our dead, a tear spins in the eye. Such an experience of death results from our temporal way of looking at it, from our earthly perspective. This is why the church allows us to experience Solemnity of All Saints first.
Let's look at the reading: all three, permeated with the promise of life, give us great hope for a real life. The Apocalypse presents a wonderful vision of a liturgical assembly attended by all who they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (cf. Rev 7:14). They are the Group of Martyrs, those who have gone through the great tribulation. In this way, Saint John shows the fulfillment of the promise that the Lord Jesus gives us in the gospel: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” (cf. Mt 5:10-12)
The blessings that the Lord Jesus leaves us are promises that relate primarily to the future life and only secondarily to our present life. Jesus repeats like the refrain: "blessed are". The word "blessing" is related to the Greek word "eulogia" and means "to speak well," "to worship" and "a generous, plentiful gift." It is also related to the Hebrew word "beraka", which expresses the act of giving a gift. A blessing is therefore a gift expressed in words and an act of giving gifts, not only material, but above all spiritual. The word "blessed" (Greek "makarios") can be translated very simplifyingly as "happy". God has placed in the heart of every human being the desire for happiness as a primal longing and wants to respond to it by sharing his own happiness.
Today's world offers us various visions of happiness, based mainly on consumption, e.g., prosperity, success, career, prestige. But experience shows that none of them fully satisfy human desires. True happiness lies in being friends with God and getting along well with yourself, with other people, and living in harmony with nature. True happiness comes from fulfilling the most important commandment - love for God, for one's neighbor and for oneself. Therefore, St. Augustine said, "Love and do what you want." If there is a base, a foundation, that is, love, then everything is possible.
Jesus' blessings proclaim happiness, but there is a paradox within them. Jesus calls the poor, the suffering, the meek, the persecuted happy ... In this way, he devalues our human hierarchy of values. He opposes the desire for riches with poverty: to the instinct of strength, violence, control - meekness; comfort, selfishness - the fight for justice; hardness of heart - mercy; sensuality - purity of heart; irritability - the spirit of peace; vanity, pride - acceptance of insults. It is impossible to be happy when guided by the method of strength, lust, selfishness, pride ...
The blessings, though so paradoxical, are actually very realistic. They force us to face the experiences we are running from. Each of us has experienced or will experience various forms of poverty, physical or moral suffering, tears, hunger, thirst, injustice, adversities in life… The blessings allow us to look at these problems with hope and faith and from an eternal perspective. Each blessing brings hope - participation in God's eternal kingdom.
The Beatitudes also reveal God the Father who is compassionate, merciful, gentle, patient, who gives peace and comfort ... They are a portrait of Jesus Christ. Every blessing is fulfilled first in him, and also in Mary and all the saints. John Paul II said: “Jesus not only proclaims blessings. He lives them and is a blessing himself. By looking at Him you will understand what it means to be poor in spirit, meek and merciful, what it means to weep, to desire justice, to be pure in heart, to bring peace, to suffer persecution”.
Let us meditate on each of the eight blessings for a moment and consider which of them are our personal experiences? Which blessing is the most joyful for me and which is the most difficult? Am I a blessing myself to others?
Mother Teresa of Calcutta draws concrete conclusions from the Evangelical Beatitudes, giving a series of wise advice.
It is worth quoting them here and remembering, as they speak of the need for persistent, adherence to good. She writes:
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God.
It was never between you and them anyway.”
Until Tomorrow
fr. george