The beatitudes, in fact the whole of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, is most likely a distillation of Jesus’ most important teachings. In their present literary form there is too much here for us to take in all at once. Each is a meditation on the joy of living in the kingdom of God. In order to be touched by Jesus’ beautiful teachings, preserved in Matthew’s beatitudes, we need to consider them as if hearing them for the first time. Below is one of my favorite interpretations of the beatitudes, taken from William Barclay’s The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, Daily Study Bible Series, revised edition (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), 88-118.
“O the bliss of the man who has realised his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God, for thus alone he can render to God that perfect obedience which will make him a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven!
“O the bliss of the man whose heart is broken for the world’s suffering and for his own sin, for out of his sorrow he will find the joy of God!
“O the bliss of the man who is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time, who has every instinct, and impulse, and passion under control because he himself is God-controlled, who has the humility to realise his own ignorance and his own weakness, for such a man is a king among men!
“O the bliss of the man who longs for total righteousness as a starving man longs for food, and a man perishing of thirst longs for water, for that man will be truly satisfied!
“O the bliss of the man who gets right inside of other people, until he can see with their eyes, think with their thoughts, feel with their feelings, for he who does that will find others do the same for him, and will know that that is what God in Jesus Christ has done!
“O the bliss of the man whose motives are absolutely pure, for that man will some day be able to see God!
“O the bliss of those who produce right relationships between man and man, for they are doing Godlike work!
Consider taking one of these beatitudes as a starting place for a meditation and see where the Spirit leads you.
This is Catholic Schools Week, a celebration of our Catholic schools and St. Hilary School in particular. St. Hilary School is a great blessing for this parish. Today, more than ever, our young people need to acquire skills in reading, writing, math, science, language, technology, and the arts. Perhaps even more importantly, they need to understand their purpose in this world as sons and daughters of a loving God. Our Catholic schools provide daily opportunities for our children to know and love the Lord Jesus and to serve him in one another.
Catholic schools accomplish all this because of generous lay men and women willing to work for less pay to bring the message of Christ to our children. We owe a special thanks to all of our very dedicated teachers.
Learning about the faith is only part of the equation. In order for the faith to take root for a lifetime, it must be lived out through Sunday Mass, regular confession of sins, and frequent reception of Holy Communion. Our Catholic schools build on the values witnessed by our Catholic families in their homes.
Please pray for our Catholic School and for our mission as a parish to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with our young people.