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THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO Matthew 5:1-12a.

BACKGROUND: Today’s reading is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew’s Gospel. The form of the Beatitudes found here is not unique to Jesus. Beatitudes are found in the Old Testament, in the psalms, and in wisdom literature, for example. They are a way to teach about who will find favor with God. We quickly note in this reading that the people whom Jesus calls “blessed” and “happy” are not people we think of as blessed or happy . . . the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted. This Gospel is one of reversals. Jesus’ blueprint for happiness reflects little of what the world might call happiness. “Blessed” is sometimes translated as happy, fortunate, or favored. In other words, Jesus is saying that divine favor is upon those who are poor, those who mourn, those who are persecuted. This news might have been welcome—and surprising—to the crowds who heard Jesus that day. The Beatitudes can be understood as a framework for Christian living. Our vocation as Christians is not to be first in this world, but rather to be first in the eyes of God. By referring to the good things that the faithful will experience, Matthew reminds us that those who act in the manner described in the Beatitudes will find their reward with God.

FAMILY CONNECTION: Today’s Gospel offers a contrast to many of the messages we hear in our society today. If we were to accept uncritically the “get ahead” messages of our culture, we would think that happiness means having money, being successful, having many possessions, and so on. When we think this way, we are not unlike the people who heard Jesus teach on the day that he taught the Beatitudes. The crowd that day also associated happiness with material possessions and status. Talk as a family about what it means to be happy or to be blessed. Make a list of traits that you would associate with a happy person. Then read together today’s Gospel, Matthew 5:1 -12a. Reflect on Jesus’ description of happiness. Think about what each of the Beatitudes might have in common and write a family summary of the Beatitudes. Post the summary in a special place as a reminder of what your family will consider “true happiness.” Conclude by praying together prayers of petition based on the Beatitudes, e.g., “We pray that we will be peacemakers who seek to get along with other people even when this is difficult. We pray to the Lord.” “Lord, hear our prayer.”

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