THE BLESSED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
MONDAY 7th JUNE, 2021. MONDAY OF THE TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
READINGS;2 CORINTHIANS 1:1-7, PSALMS 34:2-9, MATTHEW 5:1-12.
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is the fulfilment of the law of Moses. Whatever Moses taught and lived is accomplished in Jesus. This is why Jesus is called the New Moses.
The law of Moses was not perfect but it finds its perfection and fulfilment in Jesus. This is why in the gospel of today upon seeing the crowds Jesus goes up the mountain, because for the gospel of Matthew whatever is important has to be given on the mountain. For him the mountain is the place of authority and of an encounter with God.
Jesus gives this important law known as the sermon on the mountain. This is the central teaching of Jesus, as a new Moses, he brings a new law perfecting that of the mountain of Sinai, this law is about blessedness.
Who are the blessed? The blessed are the poor, the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of God belongs to them, why? Because they depend on God, who has a special care for them, they are blessed because he cares for them.
They are poor in spirit because they left everything to follow Jesus who was poor and they now have nothing of their own but Jesus.
Blessed are those who mourn, mourning is a portion for Christians who deny themselves of the worldly possession and strive to remain faithful in the face oppositions and persecutions only God is their strength and comforter.
Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the land. We have to know that the way we live our lives now determines the way we will live in the after life. Here the beatitudes stress so much on the present and the future. There is a strong connection between the two.
The peacemakers will be called children of God. This aspect is very important for us Africans, and PNGians because in most of our countries we are experiencing wars and conflicts.
There are civils wars, tribal wars and the over throwing of governments through arms and many innocent people especially the vulnerable lose their lives. We need peacemakers the peace that is based on the conduct of God and the example offered by his Son Jesus Christ.
We as his disciples have to bear in mind that all authority resides in Jesus and he has shared this authority to us his disciples, therefore let us stand for what he preached and lived the whole of his life by living the beatitudes then we will be considered blessed in the Kingdom of God.
LET US PRAY FOR THE GRACE TO LIVE THE BEATITUDES OF JESUS SO AS TO INHERIT HIS PROMISES IN THE FUTURE LIFE.
Stay blessed and dare to be Holy
