BLESSED ARE WE

Matthew 5:12

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The word "Beatitude" comes from a Latin word meaning “happy” or “blessed.” God implanted in us a desire for happiness, eternal happiness. In truth, the things of this world - money, athletic or scholarly achievement, fame, possessions - can never satisfy the hungry heart we all possess. Only God, God's goodness and love, can quench our thirst for happiness. Jesus teaches us what we have to do right now to develop the kind of attitudes that lead to happiness, even in this life.

The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them not to long for merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven.

The Beatitudes depict the expression of happiness in our lives with Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the call for living a life in faith associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are promises that sustain hope in the midst of uncertainties, chaos and non-belief; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples that have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.

Examine our hearts. Are we trying to be like each one of them? Let us put our complete faith and trust to the Lord, for we all belong to the Kingdom of God. We truly deserve to be happy and blessed.

Lord Jesus, keep us from being pre-ocuppied with money and worldly goods. Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world. Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others. Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your Words. Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn. Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you. Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world. Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them. Amen.

Blessed the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!