Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
I remember first learning about the Beatitudes in grade school. Although somewhat puzzled at what it meant to be "poor in spirit" or what the word "meek" meant, I remember reviewing the list of promises, asking myself which was my favorite Beatitude. By "favorite", my childish mind simply meant the one that was the easiest for me to carry out. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness or maybe being a peacemaker seemed like good candidates. Mourning or persecution for the sake righteousness did not! In thinking this way, I gave myself the impression that as long as one of the Beatitudes was faithfully carried out, the Kingdom of Heaven and all that that meant would be my inevitable reward. Certainly, all of us, in light of our uniqueness and individuality, are endowed with special graces and spiritual gifts and, therefore, some of the Beatitudes will probably come a little more natural to us than others. However, there was still a mistake in my childish thinking- an error that we can fall victim to no matter how old we are. We are not called to just one of the Beatitudes or even a select few. As Catholics and as disciples, we are called to respond to every, any, and all of them.
Today, the Church begins reading from one of the most notable sections of the Gospel of Matthew- a section that is at the core of the life of discipleship to which we are all called- the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins this famous sermon by proclaiming the eight Beatitudes before His disciples. As I read and reread the Beatitudes, I challenged myself to avoid looking at each Beatitude as a separate entity, but rather as an interconnected and interrelated part of the others. Could I hunger and thirst for righteousness, but not be willing to be persecuted for it? Could I interiorly be clean of heart, but exteriorly withhold mercy? Could I be poor in spirit, but lack the meekness necessary to cultivate that same spirit? Could I mourn for my own sin, but feel no remorse for the injustices and lack of peace in the world? As I reflected on these questions, my answer was a resounding no! To neglect one, was to neglect another. Christ has not just called us to choose just one Beatitude and ignore the rest, as I might have suspected as a child. We are called to a comprehensive discipleship- a Catholicism that is universal not only in name, but also in practice. Yes, Jesus does call us to every, any, and all of the Beatitudes.
The words "every", "any", and "all" are known as "absolutes" because they don't lend themselves to exception. As a civil engineer, I was taught to avoid such "absolutes" at all cost- in speech and particularly in technical writing, due to the potential liability that was assumed by the use of such words. Instead, phrases such as "in general", "most nearly", or "usually" were substituted in their place. Absolutes can be intimidating to read and even more challenging to practice, particularly recalling our own weakness and imperfections. However, in our spiritual lives, we are not striving to be disciples in general, most nearly disciples, or usually disciples. Instead, we strive to live out our discipleship in every thought, anything we say, and in all of our actions. How is this possible? It is possible by the grace and absolute love of an infinite God. In today's first reading from Second Corinthians, St. Paul does not shy away from the use of absolutes in his description of God, writing, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of ALL encouragement, who encourages us in our EVERY affliction." St. Paul continues by saying that because of this encouragement, "we may be able to encourage those who are in ANY affliction." Christ's sufferings, along with His love and grace with which they are connected, "overflow to us", allowing us to fully live out our discipleship.
In The Story of a Soul, the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, she writes, "My God, I choose everything- I will not be a saint by halves." Like St. Therese, we are not called to be disciples by half, but rather in every aspect of our lives- our families, our relationships, our homes, our work, our school, and our service. Today, may we pray with confidence the words of today's Psalmist: "I will bless the Lord at ALL times; His praise be EVER in my mouth." Amen.
Ryan J. Mahle