Solemnity of All Saints
Lectionary: 667
I, John, saw
another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of
the living God.
He cried out in a
loud voice to the four angels
who were given
power to damage the land and the sea,
“Do not damage the
land or the sea or the trees
until we put the
seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
I heard the number
of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and
forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of
the children of Israel.
After this I had a
vision of a great multitude,
which no one could
count,
from every nation,
race, people, and tongue.
They stood before
the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes
and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a
loud voice:
“Salvation comes
from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb.”
All the angels stood
around the throne
and around the
elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated
themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and
exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and
glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and
might
be to our God
forever and ever. Amen.”
Then one of the
elders spoke up and said to me,
“Who are these
wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My
lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
“These are the ones
who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed
their robes
and made them white
in the Blood of the Lamb.”
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see
your face.
The LORD’s are the
earth and its fullness;
the world and those
who dwell in it.
For he founded it
upon the seas
and established it
upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see
your face.
Who can ascend the
mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in
his holy place?
One whose hands are
sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not
what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see
your face.
He shall receive a
blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God
his savior.
Such is the race
that seeks him,
that seeks the face
of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see
your face.
Beloved:
See what love the
Father has bestowed on us
that we may be
called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the
world does not know us
is that it did not
know him.
Beloved, we are
God’s children now;
what we shall be
has not yet been revealed.
We do know that
when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see
him as he is.
Everyone who has
this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you
who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you
rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
Scripture Study, Nov.
1, 2015
November 1, 2015 Feast
of All Saints
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of All
Saints, as it does every year on November 1. As Christians we believe that life
is not ended at the moment of death but merely changed. We believe that our
relationship with Christ, the Lord, and the Father Who sent Him to us continues
even after death. The point to this celebration of All Saints is two fold:
Firstly, since relatively few names of the many who have been faithful to their
calling to holiness throughout the ages are known to us, this is an opportunity
to honor all of them. Secondly, it reminds us of every Christian�s calling to holiness which includes each of us and it is an
opportunity to consider what it really means to be committed to Christ. The
question raised in my mind by the day itself is, �How faithful am I in
my own walk with Christ and His disciples through my own life�? In the Gospel reading, Jesus provides us with a pattern that a
faithful life would follow.
First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
2Then I saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal
of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were
given power to damage the land and the sea,
3“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the
seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
4I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites:
5twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Judah, twelve
thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,
6twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from
the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,
7twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from
the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,
8twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from
the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of
Benjamin.
9After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one
could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the
throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in
their hands.
10They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated
on the throne,
and from the Lamb.”
11All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and
the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God,
12and exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and
thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are
these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He
said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Notes on First Reading:
* 7:2 In the vision, the elect receive the
seal of the living God as protection against the coming cataclysm. See Rev
14:1; Ezekiel 9:4-6; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30. The main source of this image
is Ezekiel 9.
This verse expresses the ancient belief that God regulated the events of nature
through the agency of angels. Thus nature itself can be a means of punishment.
The angel came from the east literally, “rising of the sun” which was
considered the source of light and the place of paradise (Genesis 2:8).
The seal was used to mark belongings as well as documents. Whatever was marked
by the impression of one�s signet ring belonged to that person and was
under his protection.
* 7:4 The numbers are all symbolic. Twelve was
the number of fullness, all twelve tribes. 1000 was symbolic of a large
multitude or very many.
* 7:9 The words in parentheses were added to
identify the antecedent of the personal pronoun. White robes, white garments
and palm branches were all common symbols of joy and victory.
* 7:14 The elder takes on the role usually
filled by an “interpreting angel” which is common in apocalyptic texts.
The robes represent the inner or spiritual condition of the person. The
transformation from soiled (sinful) to clean or white (holy) is related to the
death of Christ understood as a sacrifice (blood). The allusion is to
repentance, conversion, and baptism all taken together as the transformation of
the believer. The great tribulation or ordeal is the intense persecution by the
Romans or the crisis at the end-time which also involves persecution. The
reference to it implies that the transformation must include perseverance which
might result in martyrdom.
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3
1 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be
called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know
us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are
God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that
when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as
he is pure.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 3:1-3 Jesus Himself is the greatest sign of
God�s love because He is the Son of God given for
us that has made Christians true children of God. Although this relationship is
already a reality, it will not be fully manifest until the life to come. True
knowledge of God will ultimately be gained but Christians prepare themselves
now by virtuous lives in imitation of the Son.
There are three consequences of this affirmation:
1. Christians do not belong to the world which
failed to receive Jesus (John 15:18-19; 17:14-16).
2. Christians will lead lives of holiness like
Christ (John 17:17-19).
3. Christians are confident of an even greater
salvation in the future (John 17:24).
* 3:2 What (Who) will be revealed is most
probably Christ, Himself. There was a common theme in Hellenistic religious
literature “that like would know like.” The human who knows God is Divinized.
For the Johannine tradition this was mediated through Jesus. Jesus possessed
the Divine name and equality with God (John 17:11-12). He has shared that name
with His followers (John 17:6, 26). They in turn have shared Jesus� fate at the hands of the world (John 15:21) and will witness
His glory (John 17:24). see also 1 Cor 13:12; 2 Cor 3:18.
Gospel Reading: Mt 5:1-12a
1 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after
he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
6Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of
righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter
every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
NOTES on the Gospel Reading:
* 5:1 This verse begins the first of the five
discourses that are a central part of the structure of Matthew�s Gospel. The Lucan parallel is in that gospel�s “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:20-49), although some of the
sayings in Matthew�s “Sermon on the Mount” have their parallels
in other parts of Luke. It seems that the careful topical arrangement of the
sermon may stem from a previous structured discourse of Jesus that acted as one
of Matthew�s sources rather than being his own invention.
Unlike Luke�s sermon, verse 7:28 indicates that this is
addressed not only to the disciples but to the crowds.
Oriental teachers of the time taught from a sitting position. Matthew presents
the mountain as a mountain of revelation as is common in the Bible.
* 5:2 This is a solemn introduction. While the
Sermon on the Mount is Matthew�s construction, the material itself was
probably derived from Jesus� own teaching.
* 5:3-12 The linguistic form, “Blessed are
(is),” occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in
the psalms. Although probably modified by Matthew, the first, second, fourth,
and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels (Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20; Matthew 5:4;
Luke 6:21,22; Matthew 5:6; Luke 6:21a; Matthew 5:11-12; Luke 5:22-23). The
others are believed by most scholars to have been added by the evangelist and
are likely to be his own composition. A few manuscripts, Western and
Alexandrian, and many versions and patristic quotations give the second and
third beatitudes in inverted order.In the Old Testament, the poor (anawim) are
those who are without material possessions and whose confidence is in God (see
Isaiah 61:1; Zeph 2:3) The NAB translates the word as lowly and humble,
respectively, in those texts.
It is likely that Matthew added “in spirit” in order either to limit the term
only the devout poor or to extend the beatitude to all, regardless of social
rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God. The same phrase, poor in
spirit, is found in the Qumran literature.
* 5:4 The Old Testament source for this saying
comes from Isaiah 61:2 which reads: “(The Lord has sent me) . . . to comfort
all who mourn.” The language used here is called a “theological passive”
equivalent to the active “God will comfort them”. This is also the case in Matthew
5:6,7.
* 5:5 The text from Psalm 37:11,”. . . the
meek shall possess the land” has been adapted. In the psalm “the land” means
the land of Israel but here it means the kingdom.
* 5:8 Psalm 24:4 says that only one “whose
heart is clean” can take part in the temple worship. Psalm 42:2 describes being
with God in the temple as “beholding His face,” but here the promise to the
clean of heart is that they will see God not in the temple but in the coming
kingdom.
* 5:10 For Matthew righteousness usually means
doing God�s will.
* 5:12 Matthew is placing the disciples in the
line and tradition of the persecuted prophets of Israel.
Meditation: "Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven"
What is the good life which God intends for us? And how is it
related with the ultimate end or purpose of life? Is it not our desire and
longing for true happiness, which is none other than the complete
good, the sum of all goods, leaving nothing more to be desired? Jesus addresses
this question in his sermon on the mount. The heart of Jesus' message is that
we can live a very happy life. The call to holiness, to be saints who joyfully
pursue God's will for their lives, can be found in these eight beatitudes.
Jesus' beatitudes sum up our calling or vocation - to live a life of the
beatitudes. The word beatitudeliterally means "happiness"
or "blessedness".
God gives us everything that leads to true happiness
What is the significance of Jesus' beatitudes, and why are they so central to
his teaching? The beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness that
God has placed in every heart. They teach us the final end to which God calls
us, namely the coming of God's kingdom (Matthew 4:17), the vision of God (Matthew
5:8; 1 John 2;1), entering into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21-23) and
into his rest (Hebrews 4:7-11). Jesus' beatitudes also confront us
with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use
we make of the goods he puts at our disposal.
Jesus' tells us that God alone can satisfy the deepest need and
longing of our heart. Teresa of Avila's (1515-1582) prayer book contained a
bookmark on which she wrote: Let nothing disturb you, let nothing
frighten you. All things pass - God never changes. Patience achieves all it
strives for. Whoever has God lacks nothing -God alone suffices.
Is God enough for you? God offers us the greatest good possible
- abundant life in Jesus Christ (John 10:10) and the promise of unending joy
and happiness with God forever. Do you seek the highest good, the
total good, which is above all else?
The beatitudes are a sign of contradiction to the world's way of
happiness
The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to the world's
understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find happiness in
poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? Poverty of spirit finds ample room
and joy in possessing God as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the
spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit. Sorrow and
mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of
guilt and spiritual oppression.
God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of abundant
life and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will
more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this
world. Thomas Aquinas said: "No one can live without joy. That is why a
person deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures." Do
you know the happiness of hungering and thirsting for God alone?
"Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way
that leads to everlasting peace and happiness. May I desire you above all else
and find perfect joy in doing your will."
SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1,
MATTHEW 5:1-12A
(Revelation 7:2-4,
9-14; Psalm 24; 1 John 3:1-3)
KEY VERSE: "Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven" (v 12).
TO KNOW: In
his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed the character he required of his followers.
The "Beatitudes" that Jesus exalted was the attitude of trust and
humility represented by the poor, the suffering and persecuted. At the time of
Jesus, affliction was thought to be punishment for sin, and good health and
material prosperity were seen as rewards for one's righteousness. Jesus
reversed human expectations of those who were thought to be fortunate – the
rich, powerful and complacent people. He announced that true happiness was not
found in wealth and power. Jesus promised eternal reward for all who humbly
sought God's will despite hardships. But the "blessedness" that the
disciples received was not some future glory; it is the blessedness that exists
in the here and now. Jesus exemplified every Beatitude. He was poor (Mt 8:20)
and gentle and meek (11:29). He grieved over sin and hungered and thirsted for
God's justice (12:18). He was merciful (12:16-21) and single-hearted in his
desire to do God's will (26:39). Jesus suffered persecution and died to bring
about God's kingdom (27:50). He gave us the ideal that every Christian should
constantly pursue in order to be holy people, worthy of God's reign.
TO LOVE: Which
of the Beatitudes do I most need to put into practice today?
TO SERVE: Saints
of God, help me to imitate your righteous and holy lives.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
No matter how horrible our sufferings here on earth may be, Jesus
has promised us the fulfillment of all desire, if only we persevere in our
friendship with Him. This is true Christian hope; this is a reason for hope
that nothing can change or take away.
November
1
Solemnity of All Saints
The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the
saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs."
In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the
catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and
reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods.
The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable
Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the
future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship
not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time).
But the
rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the
martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in
the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost.
How the
Western Church came to celebrate this feast, now recognized as a
solemnity, in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon
theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend
Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.
Comment:
This feast first honored martyrs. Later, when Christians were
free to worship according to their consciences, the Church acknowledged other
paths to sanctity. In the early centuries the only criterion was popular
acclaim, even when the bishop's approval became the final step in placing a
commemoration on the calendar. The first papal canonization occurred in 993;
the lengthy process now required to prove extraordinary sanctity took form in
the last 500 years. Today's feast honors the obscure as well as the famous—the
saints each of us have known.
Quote:
“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one
could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the
throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in
their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, ‘These are the ones who have
survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Revelation 7:9,14).
LECTIO DIVINA:
ALL SAINTS - MATTHEW 5,1-12A
Lectio:
Sunday, November 1, 2015
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:1-12
1. Listening to the text
a) Opening prayer:
Lord, the meaning of our life is to seek your Word, which came
to us in the person of Christ. Make me capable of welcoming what is new in the
Gospel of the Beatitudes, so that I may change my life. I would know nothing
about you were it not for the light of the words spoken by your Son Jesus, who
came to tell us of your marvels. When I am weak, if I go to Him, the Word of
God, then I become strong. When I act foolishly, the wisdom of his Gospel
restores me to relish God and the kindness of his love. He guides me to the
paths of life. When some deformity appears in me, I reflect on his Word and the
image of my personality becomes beautiful. When solitude tries to make me dry,
my spiritual marriage to him makes my life fruitful. When I discover some
sadness or unhappiness in myself, the thought of Him, my only good, opens the
way to joy. Therese of the Child Jesus has a saying that sums up the desire for
holiness as an intense search for God and a listening to others: «If you are
nothing, remember that Jesus is all. You must therefore lose your little
nothing into his infinite all and think of nothing else but this uniquely
lovable all…» (Letters, 87, to Marie Guérin).
b) Reading the Gospel:
1 Seeing the crowds, he went onto the mountain. And when he was
seated his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak. This is what he
taught them:
3 How blessed are the poor in spirit:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are the gentle:
they shall have the earth as inheritance.
5 Blessed are those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness:
they shall have their fill.
7 Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers:
they shall be recognised as children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds
of calumny against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before
you.
c) A moment of prayerful silence:
It is important to be able to listen in deep silence so that the
word of Christ may speak to us and so that the Word made flesh may dwell in us
and us in him. It is only in silent hearts that the Word of God can take root
and, on this Solemnity of All Saints, become flesh in us.
2. Light shed on the Word (lectio)
a) The context:
Jesus’ words on the Beatitudes that Matthew drew from his
sources, were condensed in short and isolated phrases, and the Evangelist has
placed them in a broader context, which Biblical scholars call the “sermon
on the mount” (chapters 5-7). This sermon is considered like the statutes
or Magna Carta that Jesus gave to the community as a normative
and binding word that defines a Christian.
The many themes contained in this long sermon are not to be seen
as collection of exhortations, but rather as a clear and radical indication of
the new attitude of the disciples towards God, oneself and the brothers and
sisters. Some expressions used by Jesus may seem exaggerated, but they are used
to stress reality and thus are realistic in the context although not so in a
literary sense: for instance in vv.29-30: «If your right eye should be your
downfall, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose
one part of yourself than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your
right hand should be your downfall, cut it off and throw it away, for it will
do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body go
to hell». This manner of speaking indicates the effect desired to be
created in the reader, who must understand correctly Jesus’ words so as not to
distort their meaning.
Our focus, for liturgical reasons, will be on the first part of
the “sermon on the mount”, that is the part dealing with the
proclamation of the beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12).
b) Some details:
Matthew invites the reader to listen to the beatitudes
proclaimed by Jesus with a rich concentration of details. First he indicates
the place where Jesus proclaims his sermon: “Jesus went onto the mountain”
(5:1). That is why exegetes call this the “sermon on the mount” even
though Luke places this sermon on level ground (Lk 6:20-26). The geographic
location of the “mountain” could be a veiled reference to an episode in
the OT quite like ours: that is, when Moses proclaims the Decalogue on mount
Sinai. It is possible that Matthew wishes to present Jesus as the new Moses who
proclaims the new law.
Another detail that strikes us is the physical posture of Jesus
as he proclaims his words: “when he was seated”. This posture confers
upon him a note of authority in the legislative sense. The disciples and the
“crowd” gather around him: this detail shows what Jesus had to say was for all
to hear. We note that Jesus’ words do not present impossible matters, nor are
they addressed to a special group of people, nor do they mean to establish a
code of ethics exclusively for his inner circle. Jesus’ demands are concrete,
binding and decisively radical.
Someone branded Jesus’ sermon as follows: «For me, this is
the most important text in the history of humankind. It is addressed to all,
believers and non, and after twenty centuries it is still the only light still
shining in the darkness of violence, fear and solitude in which the West finds
itself because of its pride and selfishness» (Gilbert Cesbron).
The word “blessed” (in Greek makarioi) in our
context does not say “softly” but cries out happiness found throughout the
Bible. For instance, in the OT, those called “blessed” are those who
live out the precepts of Wisdom (Sir 25,7-10). The prayerful person of the
Psalms defines “blessed” as those who “fear”, or more precisely
those who love the Lord, expressing this love in the observance of the precepts
contained in the word of God (Sal 1,1; 128,1).
Matthew’s originality lies in adding a secondary phrase that
specifies each beatitude: for instance, the main assertion “blessed are the
poor in spirit” is clarified by an added phrase “for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven”. Another difference with the OT is that Jesus’ words
proclaim a saving blessedness here and now and without any limitations. For
Jesus, all can attain happiness on condition that they remain united to Him.
c) The first three beatitudes:
i) The first cry
concerns the poor: “How blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of
heaven is theirs”. The reader may be shocked: how can the poor be happy? In
the Bible, the poor are those who empty themselves of themselves and above all
renounce the presumption of building their own present and future alone, and
thus leave room for and focus on God’s project and his Word. The poor, always
in the biblical sense, is not someone closed in on himself, miserable,
negative, but someone who nurtures being open to God and to others. God is all
his/her treasure. We could say with St.Teresa of Avila: happy are those who
experience that “God alone suffices!”, meaning that they are rich in
God.
A great modern spiritual author described poverty as follows: «As long as
one does not empty one’s heart, God cannot fill it with himself. As you empty
your heart, so does the Lord fill it. Poverty is emptiness, not only in what
concerns the future but also the past. Not a regret or memory, not a worry or
wish! God is not in the past, God is not in the future: He is in the present!
Leave your past to God, leave your future to God. Your poverty is to live the
present, the Presence of God who is Eternity» (Divo Barsotti).
This is the first beatitude, not just because it is the first of many, but
because it seems to encapsulate all the others in their diversity.
ii) ”Blessed are
those who mourn; they shall be comforted”. One can mourn because of a great
pain or suffering. This underlines the fact that we are dealing with a serious
situation even though the motives or the cause are not mentioned. If we wish to
identify today “those who mourn” we could think of all the Christians who hold
dear the demands of the kingdom and suffer because of many negative aspects in
the Church; rather than focus on holiness, the Church presents divisions and
lacerations. They may also be those who suffer because of their sins and
inconsistencies and who, in some way, slow down their conversion. To these,
only God can bring the news of “consolation””.
iii) ”Blessed are
the gentle, they shall have the earth as inheritance”. The third beatitude
is about gentleness. This is a quality that is not so popular today. Rather,
for many it has a negative connotation and is taken for weakness or the kind of
imperturbability that knows how to control calculatingly one’s own emotions.
What does the word “gentle” mean in the Bible? The gentle are remembered as
those who enjoy great peace (Ps 37:10), are happy, blessed and loved by God.
They are also contrasted with evildoers, the ungodly and sinners. Thus the OT
gives us a wealth of meanings that do not allow for one single definition.
In the NT the first time we meet the word is in Matthew 11:29: “Learn from
me because I am gentle and humble of heart”. A second time is in Mt 21:5,
when Matthew describes Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and cites the prophet
Zechariah 2:9: “Behold your servant comes to you gentle”. Truly,
Matthew’s Gospel may be described as the Gospel of gentleness.
Paul too says that gentleness is an identifying quality of the Christian. In 2
Corinthians 10:1 he exhorts believers “I urge you by the gentleness and
forbearance of Christ”. In Galatians 5:22 gentleness is considered one of
the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the heart of believers and consists in being
meek, moderate, slow to punish, kind and patient towards others. Again in
Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:12 gentleness is an attitude that is part of
the Christian and a sign of the new man in Christ.
Finally, an eloquent witness comes from 1 Peter 3:3-4: “Your adornment
should be not an exterior one, consisting of braided hair or gold jewellery or
fine clothing, but the interior disposition of the heart, consisting in the
imperishable quality of a gentle and peaceful spirit, so precious in the sight
of God”.
How does Jesus use the word “gentle”? A truly enlightening definition is the
one given by the gentle person of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini “The gentle
person, according to the beatitudes, is one who, in spite of the fervour of
his/her feelings, remains docile and calm, not possessive, interiorly free,
always extremely respectful of the mystery of freedom, imitating God in this
respect who does everything with respect for the person, and urges the person
to obedience without ever using violence. Gentleness is opposed to all forms of
material or moral arrogance, it gains the victory of peace over war, of
dialogue over imposition”.
To this wise interpretation we add that of another famous exegete: “The
gentleness spoken of in the beatitudes is none other than that aspect of
humility that manifests itself in practical affability in one’s dealings with
the other. Such gentleness finds its image and its perfect model in the person
of Jesus, gentle and humble of heart. Truly, such gentleness seems to us like a
form of charity, patient and delicately attentive towards others” (Jacques
Dupont).
3. The word enlightens me (to meditate)
a) Am I able to accept those little signs of poverty in my
regard? For instance, the poverty of poor health and little indispositions? Do
I make exorbitant demands?
b) Am I able to accept some aspect of my poverty and fragility?
c) Do I pray like a poor person, as one who asks with humility the grace of
God, his pardon and his mercy?
d) Inspired by Jesus’ message concerning gentleness, do I renounce violence,
vengeance and a vengeful spirit?
e) Do I encourage, in families and in my place of work, a spirit of kindness,
gentleness and peace?
f) Do I pay back any small malice, insinuations or offensive allusions with
evil?
g) Do I look after the weakest who cannot defend themselves? Am I patient with
old people? Do I welcome lonely strangers who are often exploited at work?
4. To pray
a) Psalm 23:
The Psalm seems to rotate around the title “The Lord is my
shepherd”. The saints are the image of the flock on the way: they are
accompanied by the goodness and loyalty of God, until they finally reach the
house of the Father (L.Alonso
Schökel, I salmi della fiducia, Dehoniana libri, Bologna 2006, 54)
Yahweh is my shepherd,
I lack nothing.
In grassy meadows he lets me lie.
By tranquil streams he leads me
to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name.
Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death
I should fear no danger,
for you are at my side.
Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup brims over.
Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life.
I make my home in the house of Yahweh
for all time to come.
b) Closing prayer:
Lord Jesus, you show us the way of the beatitudes so that we may
come to that happiness that is fullness of life and thus holiness. We are all
called to holiness, but the only treasure of the saints is God. Your Word,
Lord, calls saints all those who in baptism were chosen by your love of a
Father, to be conformed to Christ. Grant, Lord, that by your grace we may
achieve this conformity to Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, for the saints you
have placed on our way and who manifest your love. We ask for your pardon if we
have tarnished your face in us and denied our calling to be saints.
