God alone satisfies

We continue the celebration of Ordinary Time as we gather on the Fourth and Fifth Sundays of this season. The Gospel readings are continuous during the next two Sundays, as we hear proclaimed Jesus’ incredible sermon on the mount, where he gives the Eight Beatitudes. The paradox of love comes to light as Jesus reveals true wisdom and how we are called to respond with holiness.

He began to teach them (Mt 5:1-13)

Jesus’ public ministry begins. Before this, Jesus was baptized by St. John, overcame temptations in the desert by the devil, began a preaching ministry in Galilee and called the first disciples. Accompanied by those he called, Jesus ministered to many in Galilee, teaching, preaching, healing and casting out demons. He was now very well-known and highly sought after.  Crowds began to gather to hear and see the wonders of this man. On that day of the great sermon, Jesus “saw the crowds, went up to mountain, sat down (as was the posture for a teacher) and began to teach.”

God alone satisfies

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “The beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’s preaching … they fulfill the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham by ordering them to the Kingdom of heaven. They shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of Christian life.” These promises offer hope in times of strife, since Jesus knew that his followers would experience joy and suffering, as he did. Those who have gone before us are witnesses to us, such beatitude, happiness, life in Christ.

Each one of us has a natural desire for happiness, which God has placed in the human heart to draw us nearer to Him. As St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “We all want to live happily. How is it then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you. God alone satisfies.”

Blessed are they

The path of beatitude is guided by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, whom we receive in baptism. We follow the path of the beatitudes which Jesus so graciously offered; a free gift from God leading to supernatural life, rest in God. “The beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things” (CCC1728).

When we are poor in spirit, we embrace our spiritual poverty, our sinfulness, as we place our trust in God with humility. We realize our utter dependence on God.

When we mourn, we not only mourn for the sorrows that life brings but also for the evil that persists in the world, trusting in Jesus’ promise of hope and the consolation that we receive in his compassion.

When we are meek, we do not shy away from something or someone but rather respond with patience, mildness, gentleness and without violence.

When we hunger and thirst for righteousness,  we strive for moral good. Pope Francis writes, “In each heart, even in that of the most corrupt and distant people, there is a hidden yearning for the light, even if it is buried under the rubble of deceit and mistakes, but there is always the thirst for truth and good which is the thirst for God. In this beatitude, Jesus announces — hunger and thirst for righteousness — which is a thirst that will not be disappointed; a thirst that, if supported, will be satisfied and always have a positive outcome because it corresponds with God’s own heart, with his Holy Spirit that is love and also with the seed that the Holy Spirit sowed within our hearts” (General Audience, March 11, 2020).

When we are merciful, we act upon the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Pope St. John Paul II writes, “I always like to link the Gospel beatitudes with Matthew 25, where Jesus presents us with the works of mercy and tells us that we will be judged on them. As you can see, mercy does not just imply being a ‘good person’ nor is it mere sentimentality. It is the measure of our authenticity as disciples of Jesus and of our credibility as Christians in today’s world” (From the Vatican, Aug. 15 2015).

When we are clean of heart, our motivations are aligned with virtue, for God sees the heart.

When we are peacemakers, we not only seek peace, we act upon that which will lead others to peace in a troubled world; peace of mind and heart; all in the peace of Christ.

When we are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, we stand heroically on the truth of life in Christ Jesus and remain faithful on this particularly difficult and uncompromising path.  Pope Francis urges, “This — refusing compromises and taking the path of Jesus Christ — is the life of the kingdom of heaven, the greatest joy, true joy. And then, in persecutions, there is always the presence of Jesus who accompanies us, the presence of Jesus who consoles us and the strength of the Holy Spirit who helps us to go ahead” (Vatican 2020).

When we are insulted and persecuted because of Jesus, we are to “rejoice and be glad.” Pope Francis writes in his Apostolic Exhortation, “On The Call To Holiness In Today’s World (1),” “The Lord asks everything of us, and in return he offers us true life, the happiness for which we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable.”

Each day may we strive for holiness and live in  Jesus’ call to the beatitudes.   

Dow is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.