Mt 5: 1-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3).
Who among us does not want to be happy? We all look for happiness and meaning. We do not only look for our own happiness; we look also for the happiness of those whom we love. But we would never consider for ourselves, nor for others, affliction or misfortune as a way of happiness. Yet, this is precisely what Jesus does in today’s Gospel. He says that those who are poor, who mourn, those who are afflicted and oppressed are blessed. The word “blessed”, (in Greek µακάριος) can also be translated as “happy”. So we ask, why? Why affliction and even suffering – something that seems to be against our natural desire for happiness, is called blessed by Jesus? Today’s readings help us in our searching for the answer.
The prophet Zephaniah, in the first reading, praises the humble against the proud because it is humility that enables people to recognize their need for God. And indeed the word humble, from the Hebrew root ‘ani’ refers to the one who has been afflicted by circumstances and who, because of that current experience, finds himself/herself dependent on God and puts his/her whole trust in God.[1] This is why the prophet announces to Israelites that the Lord “will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones …” and “will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly who shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord” (Zep 3:11-12 RSV).[2]
This is why in the Gospel Jesus declares blessed/happy the poor in spirit, the sorrowing, and the persecuted; they are blessed not because of their affliction but because of that situation they find themselves in they open their hearts, they become less self-oriented, they placed their trust in God.[3] Jesus expresses His delight in the people who in the midst of their spiritual or physical affliction or suffering do not close their hearts, do not turn away from God and others but become more loving, more sensitive. The beatitudes reveal one of many biblical paradoxes, namely, that there is a unique blessing within Christianity for those whose needs and sufferings lead them to place all their hope in God,[4] that is, to become more loving people.
Since the beatitudes are paradoxical promises, they cannot be explained by words. They can be understood only by those who live by them. Fr. Greg Friedman, a Franciscan priest, while commenting on beatitudes, recalls an insightful and at the same time sorrowful story of a young couple to whom he ministered:
“When I was a young priest, Fr. Friedman said, a couple whose wedding I witnessed chose the beatitudes as the Gospel for their wedding ceremony. In the following year the young wife became pregnant and gave birth to a child. Then one night I received a call from the hospital. The baby had died. When the funeral Mass of the child was celebrated, the parents wanted to read the beatitudes. ‘When we were married,’ they said, ‘we proclaimed these words as our faith, now one year later, with what has happened to us, we know what those words really mean for us.’”[5]
Today’s first reading and the Gospel speak of those who are humble and put their trust in God. Can there be a better example of humility and trust than those young parents gave? They could blame God for what happened to them; they could turn away from Him. Yet, even in that sorrowful experience, they humbly trusted in God’s love even though they did not understand why this happened to them.
But we might still wonder why that is? Why, instead of removing suffering from the world, Jesus declares blessed those who endure it? Is affliction and suffering necessary to enter into my life so I can turn to God with trust? Does God want and demand our suffering? The answer to these questions is Christ himself. St. Thomas Aquinas said, “If you want to see the full exemplification of the Beatitudes look to Christ crucified.”[6]
It is Jesus who could say to us, “Blessed are the poor … the meek, the persecuted …” because He was the one who was “poor, meek, and oppressed”. Jesus hanging on the Cross was “poor in spirit” and “meek” because He did not blame the Father for His fate but He humbly trusted in His Father’s love. Jesus never doubted that He was loved by the Father and this is why He was able, not only to endure affliction and suffering, but also transform them. God does not remove suffering from the world or explain its meaning; He takes suffering upon Himself and transforms it: from a sign of curse, paradoxically He makes suffering an instrument of redemption and blessing.
When Jesus came to the disciples after His resurrection, He did not explain the meaning of His suffering and death; He showed them His wounded hands and side. And we know what flowed from the suffering of Christ: the resurrection and hope for the whole human race. We also see what happens around us. How much hope is often given to the dying by those who, while losing loved ones, volunteer in hospices or hospitals? How much energy and heroism is often brought out in a family with the acceptance of a handicapped child or elderly person, bedridden for years! How much unsuspected solidarity surrounds them. How much otherwise unknown capacity to love![7]
And it is noteworthy that in the beatitudes Jesus does not order nor forbid anything; He gives promises. And the answer to a promise is not obedience or disobedience but trust placed in the one who gives the promise. By giving us the beatitudes, God puts His trust in us and, by living out the beatitudes, we express our trust in God. We may say heroic is the God who trusts in the freedom of people but also heroic are people who trust in the promise of God.[8] By giving us the beatitudes Jesus does not give us the answer to why affliction and suffering enter our lives but He shows us that, if we put our trust in God, even our affliction and suffering, which are never intended by God, can be transformed by His love into hope and meaning.
[1] William D. Mounce, et al., Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2006), 345.
[2] Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth. From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. Transl. Adrian J. Walker. (New York: Image, 2007), 75.
[3] Raymond E. Brown, S.S., The Birth of the Messiah, (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc.), 350-351.
[4] Raymond Brown, New Testament Essays. (Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1965), 270.
[5] Fr. Greg Friedman, OFM. Daily Reflections Video. 2017-01-29 Reflection (A-70)
http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/ (Access January 2, 2017).
[6] Robert Barron, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith. (New York, NY: Image Books, 2011), 45.
[7]Cantalamessa,http://www.piercedhearts.org/scriptures/commentaries_sunday/cantalamessa/sunday_homilies/ordinary_time_a_2sunday_2008.htm (Access December 31, 2016).
[8] Joseph Tischner, Przekonać Pana Boga. (Krakow: Znak, 2002), 189.
Homilies - Fr. Pawel Jamroz 