All Saints Day, Wednesday – 01st November 2023 – Rev 7,2-4.9-14; 1 Jn 3,1-3; Mt 5,1-12
Living the Beatitudes
Holiness is not something we earn, it is God’s gift. But we have a part in the process of holiness. We live out the holiness which God has given to us. Our actions should profess the holiness which God has bestowed on us.
The Eight Beatitudes are a type of revelation that allows us a glimpse into the characters of Christ and those whom he calls disciples. Poor in spirit, they desire only what glorifies the Father. Mournful over true injustice, they do not shrink from solidarity in the suffering of others, even suffering for others’ sins. In them meekness reigns, not as in those who resign themselves to the evils of the world, but as in those who treat others with gentleness and patience in long suffering. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness, they do not seek violence but rather magnanimity in the light to establish truth. They offer mercy to others because they themselves have fully received it as a gift from God. Pure of heart, they live a simplicity of intention for the things of God, not tainted by selfishness. Persecuted and insulted, they rejoice that they can suffer what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.
