Dear Reader,
This is a homily I prepared on the Beatitudes, and I thought I would share it with you as a steppingstone to the prayer, fasting, and charitable works of the holy season of Lent.
Bishop Lucia
“Seek the Lord … seek justice … seek humility … ” (Zeph 2:3)
A young Boy Scout was on maneuvers with his fellow Scouts. They were being trained in first aid methods and how to come to the help of those in need. This Scout’s job was to lie on the ground with a red bandage on him and wait for his fellow Scouts to come and administer first aid. He waited, and waited, and waited. When the other troop members did come, they found a note that said, “I have bled to death and gone home.”
In the course of seeking things in life, you and I may feel like that young Scout this afternoon/morning. We wait and wait and wait and nothing seems to happen! Yet I can’t help but wonder at times, brothers and sisters, if the inaction that seems to surround us might be part of our own doing? Take, for example, the Beatitudes found in today’s gospel reading. Jesus sums up in eight statements a way of life that can bring true happiness and blessing already in the present, along with the promise of fullness of joys in days to come. Jesus speaks to his listeners of attitudes and actions that will bring about the reign of God, not just in the next life, but here and now!
It struck me as I was preparing this homily that, as a kid, I learned the Ten Commandments and all the “Thou shalt nots. ..” However, sadly, even if you were to ask me today, I couldn’t tell you the eight Beatitudes, even though in over 37 years of ministry, I have read them countless times. This got me thinking about how seriously do I take this teaching of Jesus? And what would happen if I took to heart words found on a plaque near the chapel in my apartment at the cathedral rectory: “You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.”?
This, I believe, is the heart of the Word of God this Lord’s Day as St. Paul invites us to “Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters” (1 Cor 1:26a). In a world seeking God … justice … humility … joy … and fulfillment … how can you and I be a living Gospel … living Beatitudes that would counter the darkness, sin, and violence that plagues our communities, nation, and world today? The American author Nathaniel Hawthorne has an often quoted maxim: “Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is often just beyond grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
Now, before Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, he did take time for prayer and reflection in the wilderness. But here is the difference between Hawthorne and Jesus: Happiness is available to us when we pursue Jesus’ manner of living, but not if we are just sitting around like bumps on a log!
Sisters and brothers, how then can you and I make the eight Beatitudes more part of our daily lives? The Beatitudes are some of the most consoling and encouraging words in the gospels, and a reminder of God’s desire to care for us when we are most broken down. I don’t think any of us needs to be convinced that life can be full of challenges, heartbreak, and drudgery. In those moments, Jesus desires to meet us precisely in the grind, promising us that the kingdom of God is there, even in the greatest moments of testing and pain … in whatever difficulties life presents.
Pope Francis, in his 2018 Apostolic Letter, Gaudete et Exsultate — “On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World,” wrote: “Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are like a Christian identity card. So if anyone asks, ‘What must one do to be a good Christian?’, the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives” (#63).
So let me conclude by sharing with you eight practical suggestions for our own living out of the beatitudes in our daily lives:
· Poor in spirit means being humble and knowing that you and I need God for everything. A “poor in spirit” person isn’t proud or self-satisfied. He or she remembers that all they have is a gift from God, and they are grateful for it.
· Those who mourn: Jesus promises that those who turn to God when they are heartbroken will receive comfort. He assures us that God sees our tears and promises to be with us all our days so that no sadness lasts forever.
· The meek: Meek means gentle, patient, and not insisting on my own way. It’s about having strength under control — being calm and kind instead of angry or aggressive. In the present day, meekness is often viewed as weakness, but Jesus says the meek are blessed.
· Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness means a person really wants to do what is right and to grow closer to God, as strongly as a hungry person wants food or a thirsty person wants water. Jesus says people with that deep desire are blessed because God will satisfy their longing.
· The merciful: Merciful people are those who show mercy — they forgive others, are kind and compassionate, and don’t seek revenge when wronged. We all need God’s forgiveness, so Jesus is telling us that when we show mercy to others, our hearts are open to receive God’s mercy for ourselves.
· The pure in heart: Pure in heart means to have a clean heart — one free from dishonesty, selfishness, or serious sin. A pure heart loves God above all and wants to do the right thing simply because it’s right, not for show. Even now, a person with a clean, sincere heart can sense God’s presence more clearly and see God working around them.
· The peace makers: Peacemakers are people who try to bring peace — they help resolve conflicts and encourage people to get along instead of fighting. When we foster peace, we reflect God’s own character — God is love — a Trinitarian community of love. Thus, God is pleased to call such people sons and daughters, because they resemble God by spreading peace.
· Those who persecute for righteousness sake: Jesus knows that sometimes good people suffer precisely because they are doing good. Yet, he tells us also that any suffering we endure for God is not for nothing — it will be repaid with eternal joy in His Kingdom.
Brothers and sisters, the Beatitudes may sound upside-down compared to the modern world’s ideas, but they reveal God’s roadmap to true happiness. As we continue our celebration of the Eucharist, let us pray that you and I may use the gifts God has given us to bring about God’s kingdom in our world today, and not just sit or lie around waiting for someone else to do it. Amen.
As we prepare for the beginning of the Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, a reminder about the Lenten practices of Fasting and Abstinence:
ABSTINENCE
All Catholics who have reached their 14th birthday are bound to abstain totally from meat on the following days: Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday.
FASTING
All Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are also bound to observe the Law of Fast on the following days: Ash Wednesday (Feb. 18) and Good Friday (April 3). Fasting, that is, eating less, involves limiting oneself to a single full meal and avoiding food between meals. Lighter nourishment may be taken on two other occasions in the course of the day.
