A Cycle –4^th Sunday of Ordinary Time 26

Mt. 5:1-1a

Can you imagine being in that crowd of people listening to Jesus.  What would be your reaction if you were experiencing a broken heart, or spiritually down or poor in spirit or grieving? Would you feel blessed or would you wonder why Jesus was saying you were blessed. None of those conditions can be considered a good thing for anyone to experience. Would you feel like there was no hope because Jesus said He came to heal the broken hearted, and free the captives. Instead, He was telling you how blessed you were.

 It was a new message, and it grabbed the attention of those listening. By now He had healed, given sight to the blind and His preaching inspired them.  He had debunked the belief that any misfortune, disease, loss of mobility, or blindness or loss of your crops was because you had sinned.  Job is an example of that belief, as his friends were sympathetic because they believed he sinned.   

Jesus was telling them and us God can bring good out of all circumstances.  God does not punish us by sending us disasters because of our sinfulness.  He offers us redemption and wholeness. All our ills are the result of living in this sinful world.  Each of us knows how quickly our lives can change because we see it displayed every evening on the news.     Wha Jesus is telling us is if we trust God we will triumph over tragedy.  We will be comforted, renewed, and spiritually grow because God will provide all we need.  We will grow and our experiences will help us minister to others who doubt.  That is why we are blessed, because we believe in a loving merciful God who promises us wholeness.

Paul helps us understand the beatitudes from another perspective.  That is our response is a testimony of our belief in the goodness of God. Despite our circumstances, do we always glorify God and trust in His goodness. Trust that our faith will make us whole as it did the woman with the hemorrhage. Do we believe God will strengthen us to deal with the issues of today or will they overwhelm us? 

These readings today are encouraging us to remain faithful in our belief in the goodness of God. Confident that God is aware of what we are experiencing and the forces telling us that God does not care.  Jesus came to show us a loving compassionate, merciful God. A God that created us in his image and likeness to share in a loving relationship with the Trinity.  We know Adm’s sin was that he was tempted to believe God was withholding something that was good for him.  Let us not fall into the same trap. 

Each time we gather to worship we are nourished by the Word of God and by Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.  We need to seek the blessings God says are ours when we are broken hearted, grieving, doubtful, or seeking to grow in holiness.  What we need to remember is God has called us by name and has created us for a purpose and is always with us. Can we believe in God’s goodness, even when God is silent?   Jesus is telling us God knows and we will be strengthened in our quest for relief from pain or grow our faith despite our circumstances.