Monday, 10 June 2013 Monday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5:1-12. When he 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. Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Saint Francis of Assisi "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven" “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Mt 5:9). The servant of God cannot know how much patience and humility he has within himself as long as everything goes well with him. But when the time comes in which those who should do him justice do quite the opposite to him, he has only as much patience and humility as he has on that occasion and no more. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” There are many who, applying themselves insistently to prayers and good deeds, engage in much abstinence and many mortifications of their bodies, but they are scandalized and quickly roused to anger by a single word which seems injurious to their person, or by some other things which might be taken from them. These persons are not poor in spirit because a person who is truly poor in spirit hates himself and loves those who strike him on the cheek (cf. Mk 8,34; Mt 5:39). “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Mt 5:9).The true peacemakers are those who preserve peace of mind and body for love of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite what they suffer in this world. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). 2. The truly pure of heart are those who despise the things of earth and seek the things of heaven, and who never cease to adore and behold the Lord God living and true with a pure heart and soul. Admonitions, §13-17 (trans. ©Classics of Western spirituality, 1982)
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:20:04 +0000