Reading 1
1 Kgs 17:1-6
Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The LORD then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the LORD had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.
Gospel
Mt 5:1-12
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.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Meditation: Matthew 5:1-12
Blessed are the poor in spirit. (Matthew 5:3)
It’s not surprising that most self-help materials on the market are geared toward doing exactly that: helping ourselves. Many of them promise to unlock our hidden potential or show us the happiness and riches that could be ours if we would stop putting off our dreams and start doing what we’ve always wanted to do. If we would just focus all our energies on obtaining our goals—even if it means forgetting about the people around us—we would be happy.
How different is Jesus’ prescription for self-help! To gain perfect happiness—for this is what “beatitude” really means—we need to become “poor in spirit.” We have to see that we need something outside of ourselves. We were made to be in relationships, first with our God but also with other people. To be poor in spirit means that we need to be enriched, that we don’t have all the resources for happiness within ourselves. It means acknowledging our emptiness.
But the beatitudes aren’t just a general call to humility. Even more importantly, they are an invitation to participate in the life of God’s kingdom in practical, everyday ways. For instance, as we perform works of mercy, we begin to embody the very mercy of God. As we strive to live a righteous life, we come closer to touching the holiness of the Lord. And as we live in purity of thought, word, and deed, we set ourselves free from distractions so that we can see the Lord more clearly both in our hearts and in the lives of those around us.
There is no magic formula for living a balanced, peaceful life—not in pop psychology or in the teachings of the Scriptures. The beatitudes are not just a better self-help program. Rather, they embody the wisdom of God—a wisdom that Jesus lived and taught to everyone. And this wisdom carries a powerful promise: The more we see ourselves as poor without Jesus, the more we will become rich with him. It’s that simple—and that challenging.
“Lord, help me to know the joy that comes from getting out of myself and using my gifts and talents for your kingdom.”
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