Gospel Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus 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.”
Reflection I want to focus on one aspect of this gospel. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. A clean heart is a gift from God. It is called redemption. It is called the infusion of the Holy Spirit within us. And the beautiful thing about having a clean heart is that we not only see God, but we see the world as God sees it.
It's our gift of being able to perceive the value, the dignity and the beauty of a life of service and love.
Closing Prayer Father, please bless us with an awareness of all that you have accomplished for us. Free us from worry and struggle to try to be who you want us to be. Let us allow your work to take place within us and we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.