The Beatitudes

Homily for Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel this morning, we hear a part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is instructing his followers in what it means to be a true Christian disciple. Living the Beatitudes is the way for us to live discipleship to the fullest.

Jesus is encouraging His disciples and encouraging all of us that we should continue to strive to be faithful to His teachings.  Those who are called to live as true and genuine Christians must always seek to be righteous and just in their way of life, they must strive to show love to those they encounter, bring peace and harmony to the community, and be selfless and generous in giving. If we seek to implement these Beatitudes into our lives, we will be truly blessed, we will be truly happy. In fact, that is the very meaning of the word Beatitude.

As Christians we are called to be virtuous and examples that, in our actions, words and deeds, we will always exhibit the most Christ-like attitude. We are called to point others to Christ by how we live.

The problem is that we don’t always strive to do that. We have to allow the message of the Gospel transform our own hearts in order to bring others to a deeper encounter with God. So we should constantly challenge ourselves to attempt to live the Beatitudes each and every day.

So today, I invite each of us to use these Beatitudes as an examination of conscience. Pray through each of them and do an inventory of whether we’re actually living them. If we aren’t let’s ask the Lord to help us do better. If we are, let’s ask the Lord to help us to continue to do so.