Blessed to Fight Fear with Faith
“Who shall climb
the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place?”
Jeph
2:3;
3:12-13; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12 (A 4)
The Sermon on the Mount may be
regarded as the central point of Christ’s ministry in Galilee. It was delivered
during the first year of his public career, sometime between the winter and the
spring, according to the scholars. At the very beginning of Jesus’ public
ministry, on a mountainside overlooking ordinary people with ordinary
struggles, Jesus opens his mouth and speaks words that still shock the world: “Blessed
are the poor in spirit…” These are not rules or moral slogans but a portrait of
the Kingdom of God. Not only in Jesus’ time, but even today, society glorifies success,
dominance, and protecting oneself at all costs and calls it “Blessed”. But
Jesus turns that logic upside down.
It calls for the journey of
Discipleship in the footsteps of Jesus himself. There is an inner movement of each
Beatitude. The poor in spirit recognize dependence on God. Those who mourn,
mourn over sin, injustice, and brokenness. The meek find strength under God’s
control. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness long for a deep desire
for holiness. The merciful love as they have been loved. The pure of heart is an
undivided heart. Peacemakers reflect the heart of the Father. The persecuted
will be ever faithful even when it costs. This is not a random list. It is the
path of Christ himself. The Cross is hidden in all of the Beatitudes.
“Blessed” means more than “Happy”. The
term Matthew uses Greek word “Makarios” for “Blessed,” does not mean
temporary happiness, but rather deep and unshakable joy rooted in God. It survives
suffering, endures rejection, and grows even in persecution. That is why Jesus
dares to say: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
The Beatitudes today are a call and not a comforting zone. It challenges us to
be poor in spirit in a culture of pride. Challenges us to learn to mourn in a
culture of indifference. It encourages us to choose meekness in a culture of
aggression. It urges us to have hunger for righteousness in a culture of compromise.
It empowers us to be merciful in a culture of revenge. It demands that we seek
purity in a culture of divided hearts. It forces us to be peacemakers in a
culture of division. It strengthens us to stand firm in a culture hostile to
faith. The Beatitudes only make sense when seen through the Cross and
Resurrection.
Every time we choose humility over
pride, mercy over judgment, faithfulness over comfort, we make the Kingdom of
God visible. The Beatitudes are meant to be lived here and now, in the concrete
realities of society. In today’s polarized world—political, racial,
ideological—the Church calls us not to inflame divisions but to heal them,
becoming instruments of Christ’s peace. In a secular age where faith is mocked
or marginalized, these Beatitudes strengthen us to stand firm—not with
bitterness, but with hope. If we live the Beatitudes, the world may not always
applaud us—but it will recognize Christ in us.
“A broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps 51:17).
No comments:
Post a Comment