Jun 09 2024 4 mins
Monday 10th week in ordinary time "Mt 5:1-12"
Jesus said to his disciples: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." Everything is the other way around: Jesus calls blessed those who are poor, mourning, persecuted... The crowning of the speech is: "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account". Blessed means happy, and Jesus is explaining here that happiness doesn't come with wealth, power, fame and disordered pleasures. Do you get the picture? Jesus looked out over a crowd of people who were poor, mourning and hungry; people who had been bullied, abused and exploited. And he told them: 'God is on your side! You can be happier than anyone else: The kingdom of heaven is for you! And we're about to start turning the world right-side up again!' For centuries people had venerated the Holy Shroud of Turin as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. The image wasn't very clear, but the tradition was reliable. In 1898 amateur photographer Secondo Pia was allowed to photograph it. When he was developing the film he was astonished to see the reverse photographic plate. The negative black and white image revealed in detail, and with even greater clarity than the positive image, all the "wounds" that the Shroud preserved. This mystery fits with the way God sees the world. If we look at it with God's glasses we will see everything 'right-side up'. And these apparent contradictions of the Beatitudes will show us that, when things go wrong, we are not losers but winners because God is on our side. Our Lady, my Mother, help me to see reality with a supernatural filter, with God's glasses.
Jesus said to his disciples: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." Everything is the other way around: Jesus calls blessed those who are poor, mourning, persecuted... The crowning of the speech is: "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account". Blessed means happy, and Jesus is explaining here that happiness doesn't come with wealth, power, fame and disordered pleasures. Do you get the picture? Jesus looked out over a crowd of people who were poor, mourning and hungry; people who had been bullied, abused and exploited. And he told them: 'God is on your side! You can be happier than anyone else: The kingdom of heaven is for you! And we're about to start turning the world right-side up again!' For centuries people had venerated the Holy Shroud of Turin as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. The image wasn't very clear, but the tradition was reliable. In 1898 amateur photographer Secondo Pia was allowed to photograph it. When he was developing the film he was astonished to see the reverse photographic plate. The negative black and white image revealed in detail, and with even greater clarity than the positive image, all the "wounds" that the Shroud preserved. This mystery fits with the way God sees the world. If we look at it with God's glasses we will see everything 'right-side up'. And these apparent contradictions of the Beatitudes will show us that, when things go wrong, we are not losers but winners because God is on our side. Our Lady, my Mother, help me to see reality with a supernatural filter, with God's glasses.