1 November 2020 – All l Saints Day
Matthew 5:1-12
Fr. Fernando Armellini SCJ
Claretian Publications Macau
The gospel of blessedness is preached from the top of a mountain. More than a real place, “the mountain” in the Bible refers to any place or time when we dispose ourselves to meet the Lord and to accept his word. The scale of values established in the plains, in broad terms, is as follows: the first place to health, then family, professional success, bank account and friends. Even God and the saints—of course—are placed in the ranking, but rather at the bottom, as useful supports of previous values that are really at heart.
Jesus does not exalt poverty as such. By adding the specification in spirit, he makes it clear that not all the poor are blessed. The poor in spirit are those who decide not to possess anything for themselves and make available to others all that they receive. The poor according to the gospel is not the one who has nothing, but one who does not keep anything for oneself. Someone who is miserable may not be “poor in spirit.” One is not, if one curses others; if one attempts to improve one’s own condition with violence and deceit; if one thinks for oneself by losing interest in others, or if one cultivates the dream of winning the prestigious position of the rich, one day.
The promise that accompanies the beatitude does not refer to a distant future. It does not guarantee entry into heaven after death, but announces an immediate joy: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. From the moment one makes the choice to become and to remain poor, one enters the “kingdom of heaven,” and belongs to the family of saints.
For centuries in the church, asceticism that exalted pain as a means of uniting oneself more closely to the sufferings of Christ was preached. It attracted legions of saints and awakened precious spiritual energies, but has also spread the mistaken belief that suffering is pleasing to God. It does not. Suffering dehumanizes and the Lord cannot be pleased with an offering that disfigures the face of his children. Jesus—quoting the prophet Hosea—said that God desires love, not sacrifice (Mt 9:13).
The “afflicted” that Heaven regards them blessed who are attentive and sensitive to the immense cry of pain that rises from the world. “They weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15), but do not resign themselves in the face of evil and suffering. They expect salvation from God and his word. They will be comforted in the kingdom of God.
Translated by Fr. John Ledesma SDB
Abridged by Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF
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