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Gospel Reading for June 10, 2024 – Matthew 5: 1-12
FRUITS
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.”
—————
Instead of being the perfect guidelines for living, the so-called experts of the Mosaic Law made the 10 Commandments a plain list of don’ts, losing the main purpose of Loving God and neighbor. It just made God look so negative and a taskmaster. Perhaps, it is the reason why Jesus’ Beatitudes sounded so positive. It focused more on the blessings/rewards one would receive from doing good, from suffering for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Of course, we do not do good for the blessings/rewards. They are the FRUITS of good deeds.
Lord, help us to spend the rest of the days of our lives loving you and our neighbor, as we look forward to be with you in heaven!
