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Theo Tigno•
6/9/2003 7:26 am
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Monday, June 9th 2003 |
Matthew 5: 1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down,
his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for a those who are seeking their vocation, that God gives them clarity.
Is there such a thing as "Blessed are the tired?..."
"If God is loving, why is there so much suffering in the world?"
We can sit here and talk about suffering all day. Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, decides to give us a greater answer: The Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes is so much more than the answer to human suffering. The Beatitudes gives hope to those who are obedient in their suffering. In The Beatitudes, we see that it is greater to trust God in your sufferings than it is to understand human suffering itself. In The Beatitudes, we understand HOW God calls us to Himself: through trusting in Him.
God is not interested in how strong or how proud we are; He would rather have us be meek and poor in spirit. Our sufferings point to this.
God is not interested in how complacent we can become with this world; He would rather have us be content with His grace and mercy.
God is not interested in how ambitious we can become; He would rather have us strive for how He wants us to become.
The graces and rewards of heaven are so much more than the human sufferings we face today. So, for those who ask the question, "If God is loving, why is there so much suffering in the world," we know that the answer begins with trusting God. Many people use this question to explain why they do not believe in God. The great mystery behind this answer, though, is that suffering is meaningless if you have no concept of a loving God. The gift of accepting suffering is wrapped up in trusting that Our God is a Loving God. The Beatitudes point to this.
A few weeks ago, there was a friend of mine who was going through a hard time. Through his trials, I asked him to pray The Beatitudes. Now I understand why. There is a greater gift in meditating on The Beatitudes than in meditating on human suffering. Jesus Christ, in His infinite wisdom, truly gives us the greater answer in giving us The Beatitudes.
Take care and God Bless.
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