Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he
sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what
he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you
and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the
prophets before you.’
Food for thought
The gospel reading begins by saying, "Seeing the
crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his
disciples. Then he began to speak." It all started by seeing. There is something
special Jesus saw in those people. This something is so important that it made
Jesus 1) go up the hill, 2) sit down, 3) speak.
What Jesus saw is what he said: a blessing, a
happiness, a joy that is beyond all suffering and poverty. In us there is
something special. We normally judge people according to what they have and
own. For us, the happy are the rich; the rich are the happy people. But this is
not true; happiness is not tangible, it is not material, it is not visible.
Happiness is spiritual because it is in the spirit.
And since God created us in his own image and
likeness, so the likeness of man is in his being spiritual. That is why it is
possible to be happy and poor, to be happy in suffering, to be happy in
gentleness, to be happy in the hardships of life.
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be happy
no matter what is taking place in their lives? There is a buoyancy to their
spirit and a sparkle to their personalities. A kind of glowing field of energy
seems to radiate from their faces, their words, and from their works. There are
others who seem to be predisposed to gloomy, negative thoughts. They seem to
live in a perpetual shower of unhappiness.
What can make the difference between a healthy, happy
person and a miserable, gloomy person? Choices! One person is an optimist and
the other is a pessimist. The optimist is like Jesus; he sees the good in
all people and all circumstances of life. The pessimist sees only the darker
side of others and of life.
Who are you? An optimist or pessimist? Christ and
Christians are optimist.
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