Gospel : Matthew 5 : 1 – 12
Jesus saw the great crowd following Him …..
It’s not just to a few privileged disciples that You speak, Lord. You came so that all people can be saved. You make them understand at the start of Your apostolate in Galilee, the “crossroads of the nations”, as the Evangelist recalls it (Mt.4:13-17). Through this mixed crowd from Galilee which follows You up the mountain, it is the entire humanity that You see, all people who hope to ascend to God and who thirst for light….
He sat down ….
You take Your time, all the time necessary to teach them…. furthermore, the mountain is the symbol of the dwelling place of God. On the mountain, You sat down; You are at home, Lord Jesus. In this way You teach us that You are truly God, the Envoy of the Father come to speak in His name.
Then opening His mouth, he said….
You are the Word, the Word of God become “flesh”, a human mouth which tells us of the message of the Father, of His love. Grant Lord, that we may know how to listen attentively, not to let anything of Your words be lost; They are light and life ….
Happy! The word recurs constantly. You want us to be happy, Lord! You came to share our lives for this ….But are we on the same wavelength in the search for happiness? We dream of a peaceful life, without too much worry, a “successful” human life. You also dream of a “successful” life for us … divinely successful! And You show us those who are best placed to “succeed” thus in their lives:
the poor in spirit, free to welcome Your kingdom ….
those who, not being self-centred, remain attentive and available to others
the gentle, the merciful, the peacemakers ….
Here is the route to true happiness …. even if it seems rough! But You are there with us on this route: Through Your Eucharist, You make Yourself our Guide and our Nourishment. May You be blessed!
