January 30, 2005

January 30, 2005 The Beatitudes Mt 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down,
his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
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."

I remember with joy the time that I spent teaching lessons on the Beatitudes to my fourth grade religion class on sunday at Blessed Sacrament. We sang songs that had the words from this reading. We drew pictures of the different beatitudes. When it came to drawing the representation for "poor in spirit" I was not sure what it truly meant. Msgr. luckily came along and gave me a much needed lesson in the understanding of poor in spirit.

To be poor in spirit is a richness and joy in religious life. It means living for the kingdom of God. The material rewards are passing and the true reward is heaven. Although the poor in spirit put a priority on the spiritual over the material, there is a closeness and empathy for the materially poor. I have felt the difference in a church that is for the most part comprised of poor people as compared to a rich parish. It is hard to explain but I sense a really strong need and reaching out for support with more times of desparation and emergency in general in a poor parish. Life is simpler and more of a struggle. I know that there are many struggles for those who have their physical needs cared for but being poor adds a daily stress on top of the all the other stresses that are a part of life. The generous giving and sharing of the poor to those in greater need has also been something I have observed and been quite touched by.

Those of us who strive to be poor in spirit and put the kingdom of God before the material "wants" of the world are called to be advocates to those who are truly physically poor and struggling to have the most basic needs such as food and shelter filled. The world has enough to provide for all the people of the earth if we would all have the heart to share and help our brothers and sisters no matter who they are.