Tag: Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:12 and Luke 6:23: Heaven
Matthew 5:12 and Luke 6:23: Heaven

Saturday, April 2, 2022

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount)

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. (Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain)

God says: You have heard it said that your reward is great in heaven, and today I have more good news for you . . . Heaven is now. First, you must open your heart and mind to me alone. Then consider these questions. Can you see each sorrowful experience as an invitation to allow my faith to abide in you? Can you allow each betrayal to become an opportunity for alliance with my son? Can you open your heart and mind to my healing, serene Spirit? If so, your reward is now. Heaven is now. Ultimately, my plan encompasses all sorrow and converts it to joy. All suffering becomes celebration when you live in my love. Do not be afraid; I am with you. Do not shrink; I am your guide. Take heart; I am your strength. Take heart; I am your fire of love.

Today we remember and re-live the last meal Jesus shared with his followers. In his discourse after this meal, he reminded the apostles that although they might not understand his need to be away from them a little while, they need not fear. As we celebrate this Last Supper moment in our own lives, let us heed these words. Let us allow the fire of God’s love to transform all that troubles us. And let us remind ourselves and others that Heaven is with us even now.

Tomorrow, Luke’s woes.

Kamila Sidiqi in the foreground

Read about Kamila Sidiqi, the dressmaker of Kabul, or listen to the NPR podcast by clicking the images in this post. What heaven on earth has she encountered and share with others?

Sidiqi image from: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134533995/in-kabul-a-dressmaker-sows-entrepreneurial-seeds

Book NPR image from: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134533995/in-kabul-a-dressmaker-sows-entrepreneurial-seeds
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April 2, 2022

Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Plain
Matthew 5:4 and Luke 6:21: Mourning
Matthew 5:4 and Luke 6:21: Mourning

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount)

Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. (Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain)

God says: When you sink into deepest grief, remember me – for I am with you. When you believe you will never smile again, remain in me – for I live in you. When the darkness is so dense that the light of hope struggles to pierce it, call on me – for I am that light that no darkness can hold back. The prophets foretold and my son retells you that your mourning will become dancing. The psalmist reminds you that those who go out weeping as they carry seed to sow will also return with triumphant sheaves of joy.

As part of our Beatitudes thanksgiving, let us consider how we might bring the gift of presence to someone who mourns the loss of a person, employment, or a lifestyle.

Find out more about the NILMDTS (Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep) organization, a group of photographers whose mission is to introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture. Visit: https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/

Tomorrow, hunger and thirst.

Image from: http://galleryhip.com/mourning.html
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March 31, 2022

Beatitudes, darkness, grief, hope, joy, NILMDTS, Psalm 126, Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Plain
Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20: The Poor in Body and Spirit
Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20: The Poor in Body and Spirit

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

We have reflected on some of the many names of Jesus; we have considered how we name ourselves as his followers and how we find Christ within. Through this Holy Week we will examine the inverted nature of the Kingdom that Jesus calls each of us to join.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount)

Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. (Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain)

God says: When you are at your lowest ebb, consider that you have your greatest strength – in me. Consider that when you have nothing, you have all – in me. Also consider this . . . when you have an abundance of joy and a surfeit of goods, you do well to consider sharing them intentionally, thoughtfully and prudently with those who do not. Such is the nature of my kingdom.

Explore the preferential option for the poor as declared by Pope Francis at: http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/pope-francis

Tomorrow, Mourning.

To see a Beatitudes video, click on the image above or visit: https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/sermon-on-the-mount-the-beatitudes?lang=eng

Károly Ferenczy: The Sermon on the Mount

Then, explore options for improving the life of someone who is financially or spiritually poor, and offer God’s abundance as a healing, hope-filled action.

Firenczy image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sermon_on_the_Mount_K%C3%A1roly_Ferenczy.jpg
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March 30, 2022

God’s kingdom, inversion in Christ, Pope Francis, Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Plain
Daniel 12: Dimensions
Monday, January 24, 2022

Daniel 12

Dimensions

Daniel 12: 3: The wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever and ever.

“Daniel’s apocalyptic view of history is most fully laid out in Chapters 10-12, which make up one long vision. There an angel explains to Daniel that there is an ongoing battle in heaven between the archangels Michael and Gabriel on the one hand and the angelic “princes” of Persia and Greece on the other. This battle is reflected on earth in the wars of the Hellenistic age, which are described at length in Chapter 11 . . . At the end Michael will arise in victory and the resurrection will follow”. (Senior RG 349)

Apocalyptic writing was popular in the centuries before and after Jesus’ birth and although it is characterized by symbolism and descriptions of cataclysmic events, it is rooted in the teachings of the prophets. Dire circumstances and extreme conditions experienced by the Jewish people provided fertile ground for early writers as they warned, predicted and called the remnant people to fidelity. Living in times of hopelessness and desperation, the faithful took heart as they heard the stories of rescue, redemption and salvation. These images laid the groundwork for the genesis of Christianity, and Jesus’ introduction of the work of discipleship.

Many shall be refined, purified, and tested, but the wicked shall be proven wicked, none of them shall have understanding, but the wise shall have it. (Daniel 12:10)

Jesus describes the life of a disciple clearly in his Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Daniel 12:12: Blessed is the one who has patience and perseveres . . .

Jesus tells a parable of the persistent widow who patiently returns to a corrupt judge, asking endlessly for justice. Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart . . . (Luke 18:1-8)

Daniel 12:13: Go, take your rest, you shall rise for your reward . . .

Jesus asks us that to give him our worries and anxieties that are too great for us to bear. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

This portion of Daniel’s prophecy brings a new perspective of an old vision. Battle between good and evil are not new. But what Daniel brings us is the foreshadowing of a new and wonderful reason for hope and joy. Daniel opens up for us a new dimension. The world of joy born out of pain, of celebration rising from sorrow, and of new hope burgeoning from old wounds.

When we spend time with Daniel 12 today, we see new light leading us into a world of new dimension.

Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.RG 149. Print.

For more reflections on this prophecy, enter the word Daniel into the blog search bar and explore.

Image from: http://thewellsacramento.org/?p=689
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January 24, 2022

burden, hope, joy, persistent widow, rescue, Sermon on the Mount
Joy and Psalms 105, 119, & 126 – Conversion
Friday, December 3, 2021

Joy and the Psalms

Conversion

The Book of Psalms calls us to praise God and during this first week of Advent we will focus on the power of the psalms in a number of ways: to connect us with God as sisters and brothers in Christ, to give us a healing pathway on which to carry our lament to the Spirit, to call us together as we praise and honor the creator God, and to offer us the opportunity for our conversion.

Click on the scripture links and explore other versions of these verses. Share an idea about the surprise of joy in the dark places and times in our lives with a loved one, a neighbor or friend. And allow the surprise of joy to brighten each day as we move forward in the season of hope-filled waiting for the arrival of the Christ.

Psalm 105 verse 43: So he led his chosen people out, and they sang and shouted for joy.

God replies: I am with you when you are abandoned and rejected.

Psalm 119 verse 143: I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy.

God replies: I am with you when you are disheartened and oppressed.

Psalm 126 verse 5: Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy!

God replies: I am with you when you are broken-hearted and alone.

Psalm 126 verse 6: Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest.

God replies: I am with you when you beaten, and abused, and ridiculed for my sake. I come to walk among you . . . and you call me Emmanuel!

For a reminder of God’s promises, spend time with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 or his Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6 . . . and rejoice. For God is with us and God has converted all manner of injustice against us.

Image from: http://www.boisemustardseed.org/2012/11/29/advent-2012/
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December 3, 2021

God’s promises, joy, mourning into joy, Psalm 105:43, Psalm 119:143, Psalm 126:5, Psalm 126:6, Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Plain