Gospel of the Day
From the Gospel according to Saint 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.”
In intimacy with Christ
In this Gospel, we see how Jesus, upon seeing the crowd, withdrew and went up the mountain. He does not seek the recognition of the masses, but silence and communion with the Father. From that intimacy the Beatitudes spring forth, from the heart of God. In our married life, this attitude of Christ invites spouses to also climb His “mountain”: the place of encounter with God where love is purified and becomes authentic. In this world we live in, full of noise and appearances, Christian marriage does not rely on human effort but on the grace that arises from shared silence before God, growing together in that intimacy in Him. When the spouses pray together and gather in Him, our relationship transforms: we stop living to be seen and begin to love from the depths, taking part in the Trinitarian communion that gives life to the sacrament of marriage. When the spouses live from prayer and mercy, our love becomes fruitful and bears fruit; our happiness no longer depends on circumstances, but on the presence of God dwelling among us. Thus, we become a living testimony of the Beatitudes: a silent, merciful and deeply God-filled love.
Applied to Married Life
Louisa: Today at Mass, when Father Charles read “Blessed are the merciful”, I thought of us. Yesterday I got angry with you for leaving everything lying around after dinner… and this morning when I got up I was still upset.
Paul: Louisa, I noticed… and I felt bad. It’s true I sometimes come home tired and I forget to help. But exactly that made me think: isn’t being merciful also forgiving each other in the small things?
Louisa: Yes, I believe so. Sometimes I imagine that holiness is found in great things, and it turns out it begins in this: not staying stuck in the anger, looking at you tenderly even though you didn’t do what I expected.
Paul: Louisa — and in my case, asking you for forgiveness without pride, recognising that I failed you. Maybe being holy together is just that: having patience, forgiving quickly and continuing to walk together.
Louisa: Yes… when I manage to forgive you from the heart, I feel peace. It’s as if God tells me: “That is to love as I love”. Then I understand that holiness is not far away; it is in how we treat one another every day.
Paul: So today, our way of living the Beatitudes is like this: you forgive me, I learn, and together we let God unite us a little more.
Louisa: Exactly darling, being holy for us begins here, among the unwashed dishes and sincere forgiveness.
Mother,
you who were poor in spirit and always trusted in God, teach us to live with humility, hope and purity of heart. Praised and blessed be the Lord for ever!