For your reward will be great in heaven
10 JUNE (Mt 5,1-12a)
We understand the truth of the Beatitudes, if we read everything in the light of the Law that the Lord gave to his people on Mount Sinai.
Then God delivered all these commandments: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain. “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord has blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you. “You shall not kill. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.” (Ex 20,1-17).
In the Sinai Law there are clear, accurate rules, prohibitions and orders to be observed. There is none of all this in the new Law. It is a real life program, stated, indicated, however, left to the understanding and intelligence of every single believing mind. Jesus does not give historical form to his Law. He indicates which the new truth of his disciples must be. The Law is static. The truth is dynamic. The Law is changed through another law. The truth remains stable forever.
When he 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.
The Law of Christ Jesus needs a Person to update it on the shoulders of every individual pupil. This “Updating” Person is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that updates the truth of the Beatitudes to the Christian; and updating is not giving every Christian his specific shape or form, it is also daily updating on the same Christian. As the truth is dynamic and never fixed, stabilized once and for all, it is so of the personal truth according to which the Holy Spirit points to every single person how to live the Law of Jesus. Day by day the Holy Spirit leads the individual to the whole truth and thus leads also to give a new shape and a new way to the Beatitude.
The Beatitudes must be personalized. Every man lives his form. Every man, every day must ask the Holy Spirit to mould his whole life on it, in an ever new and shining form, so that he can reveal all the beauty of the truth of our Lord and God. Walking from novelty to novelty into all truth, the Christian is revealed to the world as the most pure light of God. The world will see his light and if it wants it might also get converted to its God and Father.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, Saints, update us on the truth.