Homily on “Beatitudes – Guiding Principles for True Happiness – based on the Gospel of Matthew 5:1-12a:
Today's gospel reading is the well-known Beatitudes – which many consider as the core of Jesus’ teaching, the essence of the gospel, the guiding principles for Christians to live by – how to live and how to have true and lasting happiness and peace which the world cannot give and which the world cannot take away.
Beatitude is another word for true or authentic and lasting happiness or "blessedness". The state of blessedness by living the Beatitudes is what Jesus calls being in the "kingdom of God", the “kingdom of heaven”.
The fundamental message of the Beatitudes is simply this – simply put in other words – plain language: Happy are those who work for the coming of the Kingdom of our heavenly Father; happy are those who by their lives reflect the love and goodness and mercy of the Father; happy are those who serve their fellow human beings in Jesus’ name; happy are those who put up with difficulty, trouble, confusion, - those who bear with frustration, disappointments, conflict, weariness, exhaustion in the service of God and others.
Yes, the beatitudes seem contrary to common sense. They are actually in conflict with the values of the society we live in – they are in fact counter-cultural. They are paradoxical just as the Cross of Christ is paradoxical.
And so you might think: What is blessed or fortunate about being poor in anything? Or what is fortunate about being meek? What is blessed about being sorrowful or in mourning? Or what is to be happy about being insulted and persecuted and having every kind of evil uttered against you? So, what is blessed about that, you might think.
For many – it would make more sense to say "Blessed or Happy are the rich." "Blessed are those having fun; blessed are those experiencing worldly pleasures." "Blessed are the powerful."
But you see – being rich, or powerful or having worldly pleasures – does not necessarily mean being in the state of blessedness or authentic lasting happiness.
In trying to come up with an illustration – what came to mind was Mother Mary – As her cousin Elizabeth greeted her at the visitation: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”
Mary’s life with Christ was not easy – giving birth in a shelter for animals, being exiled to Egypt, standing at the foot of the cross of your child, being tortured and crucified. They do not sound being blessed. But Mary lived with Christ and IS NOW with Christ in heaven. She is now the Queen of Heaven and Earth… Our Lady of Peace. She is the Cause of Our Joy.
Mary said in her Magnificat…. “The Almighty has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones but has lifted up the lowly. The hungry - He has filled with good things; the rich - He has sent away empty.”
From our Second Reading II - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - It is the weak, not the strong - It is the lowly, not the exalted – whom God chose. God chose those who count for nothing in the eyes of the world – God chose them to show the world the things that really count… what really matters in life.
The Beatitudes or blessedness - speak of having faith in God – Faith that is deep enough to find something good in every circumstance, whatever it may be – good or bad. The Beatitudes speak of a JOY which pain, sorrow, grief, loss – and even death itself cannot steal from us.
You see - Jesus’ teaching – His Way – is really revolutionary. Jesus said: “Be in the world but not of it.” – meaning – we should not be attached to the world or follow the values of the world.
Jesus said: “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Of course, Jesus does not demand that we abandon the world or hate the world. The world is good. At creation, God saw them good. Jesus is basically saying – a person is wise and blessed if he or she realizes that material possessions, worldly pleasures and power cannot provide a lasting happiness… everything is fleeting.
The person who has built his happiness – or sense of security - on the size of his bank account or investment portfolio, on career advancement or social or political recognition, on the love and affection of others, on comforts, or on indulgence of physical pleasure – that person has built his house on sand… so to speak.
These worldly success and possessions may give us pleasure and thrills, but they cannot satisfy the deepest longings of our heart—nor will they endure.
For Christians, the key to happiness is putting God first in our lives, placing all our trust in God because only God can guarantee the true happiness and peace that our hearts really deeply long for.
St. Augustine said: "You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." … only God can satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts for happiness and peace.
Sadly, on the contrary - the world says that mature humanity does not need God to run its affairs… The way of the world is - no more God. No more God in school, no more God in government, no more God in marriage, no more God in family, no more God in the bedroom.
The world says that we have the science, the knowledge, the power and the technology, we can now decide when and how to create life even in a test tube or dish; we can even clone life and so now - we decide when life begins and when life ends. The world’s attitude towards God is independence from God.
The truth is – the world has a false sense of self-sufficiency; false sense of greatness. That is why the world is abusive towards God and that is why the world is abusive towards human beings – the world is abusive towards God’s creation.
The truth is – as simple as this - the greatest in the kingdom of God is a child. Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 18:3-4)
Being a child means - being poor, being helpless, being humble before God – knowing what we are before God - being dependent on God… NOT being independent from God, but being dependent on God for wisdom… for guidance… for everything… acknowledging that without the Lord, we are nothing - we cannot do anything. In God, we live, we move and we have our being.
Greatness in the kingdom of God is measured according to one’s capacity to need God… Again, greatness in the kingdom of God is measured according to one’s capacity to need God - being like a child in one’s attitude towards God – being child-like but NOT childish… but being child-like.
So - Let us live the Beatitudes – so that like Mary – like Christ – being Eucharistic people - we will be truly blessed – truly happy - that even in the midst of our brokenness – in the midst of life’s struggles and pains - we will continue to celebrate and give thanks and therefore continue to share our blessedness – continue to be blessings also to others – living a life of true and lasting peace and happiness.
On that note…God bless…
