Daily Scripture Reflection & Prayer: June 10, 2024

Date: Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture Text:  Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Breaking the text open – background and summary:

The gospel reading for today brings us the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew – the Beatitudes. These sayings of Jesus promise supreme happiness, blessedness beyond our expectations, and they all deal with our relationships, getting our relationships right, our relationships with the LORD first of all and with one another.

Jesus begins at the beginning with “poor in spirit,” with living in full acknowledgment of one’s dependence upon the LORD. Then Jesus surprises us by holding up mourning as a state of blessedness, but we must open ourselves to love of another, for only those who love mourn, we realize; yet the LORD will comfort us. Jesus presents the meek as “inheritors”, the meek are those who do not resist, specifically those who do not resist the will of the LORD. As we read and contemplate the beatitudes, the road map Jesus gives us for our journey to life in the LORD, we find that all 9 give us direction for our relationships with the LORD and with one another. By beginning with our relationships, Jesus is telling us of their primacy in our journey.

Meditating on the text with personal questions:

Are my relationships my primary concern in my journey? Would one watching me realize my focus on relationships based on my time spent on building my relationships with the LORD and others?

Praying:

LORD, Almighty Father, Beloved Son, Most Holy Spirit, always and everywhere, You are and your love pours forth, creating, informing, conforming, and transforming. Grant that I may open myself to You fully, acknowledge my total reliance upon You, and allow your love to inform my mind, to conform my will, and to transform my very being. Make of me your child, your disciple, your temple here on earth. May the love You give to me overflow into the love I give to my sisters and brothers. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.