Monday, June 9, 2008. Scripture Reflection

Scripture: I Kings 17:1-6. Psalm 121:1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8. Matthew 5:1-12. Lectionary # 359 Beatutudes greet us this morning as we read or listen to the Gospel of Matthew in the tenth Monday of Ordinary Time after Pentecost. It just happens that this is also the feast of Pentecost (Shavuot or 7 weeks after Passover) for our Jewish brothers and sisters. Thus the beatitudes are framed in thanksgiving to the God of Israel. Jesus, as we have seen will give us five great sermons in Matthew's Gospel, but it is especially the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7, that are the Sermon par excellence for all Christian believers and for those who look for something tangible and solid for guidance in the spiritual realm of life. No matter how often we hear the beatitudes, they seem to refresh us and help us on our journey toward God. We may have recalled memorizing them while in gradeschool and then learning there are two sets of them in the Gospels as we had a course in New Testament in high school or college. It is good for us to reread them and to have them brought before us from time to time in liturgical celebrations. Recently, in our scripture study group, one of the participants was deeply moved by the beatitude "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." She had lost her son about a year ago. He was in the prime of life and was considering marriage to a lovely woman he had met on his business travels. Then at a breakfast he had a fatal heart attack and died in the presence of his mother and dad and his lovely friend. The beatitude struck deeply into the heart of the mother and she broke down and cried. After leaving for a few minutes, she returned and the group helped her through reflecting on what had just transpired. She became that beatitude for them and they, in turn, as friends were here comfort and consolation. They assured her by their presence, their prayer, and their awe that they understood her pain. They were truly the completion of the beatitude...they were the comforters. We may wish to review the beatitudes and choose one for the coming days. Perhaps, we can live it out and have the living experience of a beatitude in action. We can also realize that in doing one of them, the others are also set in motion. The beatitudes are synergenic and organic within the hearts of those who take time to meditate upon them and then put them into practice. Amen.