The Beatitudes

Jesus came down with the twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way."
Luke 6:17, 20-26

Reflection:
The beatitudes say a lot! It is mainly for those who have faith and suffer for it. And on the other extreme a warning to those without it.

We all have at one point or another in our lives had much in the way of wealth, how filled we are because we are able to get it. How easily it is to laugh because of no worries of how, when, and where we will survive. How well people speak of us and all that we have done.

What reward will they receive? Will they be blessed? From this we are the one's who will bemoan our fate, for it says woe to us.

And on the other hand we have the poor, the hungry, the tearful, the hated ones, they will reap far greater than those who have it all because of what they suffer in spirit for their faith. How wonderful it is to be mocked, hated, excluded, and insulted because of being different than others. Then we know we have a far greater reward than those who have. For ours is in heaven, where as theirs may be not of heaven but of hell. A difference in rewards if you ask me.

Is your spirit poor because people do not understand your faith? Then take heart and rejoice!