Monday, June 9, 2014


Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 17:1-6; Matthew 5:1-12)

Today we return to Ordinary Time after almost a quarter of a year contemplating the Easter mystery.  We say ordinary as if we expect nothing unusual to happen except, of course, perhaps a change of venue for a while during the summer and perhaps the celebration of our birthday.  But that is not what “Ordinary Time” in the liturgical sense is all about.  Now is the time to encounter the Lord Jesus; it is the time to work out our salvation.  Ordinary is meant to signal the order of weeks – one following another – on one day of which we will find our salvation.

Today’s gospel indicates how the experience will affect us.  When we come to know the Lord, we will act like him.  We will live “poor in spirit,” that is completely at God’s disposition not calculating on securing dividends for ourselves.  We will mourn our sins and meekly confess them so to breathe freely again.  But we will show understanding, even mercy for fellow sinners.  The drive for power and pleasure will not sully our hearts.  Quite the contrary, we will pursue justice in all our dealings with others.  Our motive like St. Francis’ will be to reconcile differences so that the world may have peace.  Even if it means suffering persecution, we will not shirk from doing what God wants of us.

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