Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Corinthians 1:1-7; Matthew 5:1-12)
It was said that Fr. John Powell, S.J., could keep a
church basement full of people sitting on metal chairs attentive to his talk
for two hours. The marvelous
communicator wrote about Jesus’ beatitudes as the “Be Attitudes” --
dispositions that promised the fullness of life. We hear them in context today as the first
installment from Matthew’s gospel which will be read on weekdays for most of
the summer (or winter in the Southern Hemisphere).
Although catechisms sometimes list only eight beatitudes
in Matthew, there are actually nine. The
first four (blessed are the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, and those
desiring righteousness) speak of passive attitudes necessary to align one with
God. The second four (the merciful, the
clean of heart, peacemakers, and those who suffer persecution) indicate one’s actively
carrying out the divine will. The long ninth
beatitude reiterates what is said in the previous one but gives it a new
purpose, Jesus himself. It conveys
Matthew’s belief that the kingdom of God has arrived in Jesus.
The beatitudes are so countercultural that most people do
not understand them, let alone want to imitate them. They rile at the thought of being “poor in
spirit.” This does not mean that we
should have a negative attitude, but that we should trust in God as those
without resources are inclined to do. The
irony that Jesus intends to convey is that when we live by such faith, we end
up rewarded and not deprived.
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