The Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2020

Matthew 5:1–12a

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.”  

The beatitudes in the Gospel of St. Matthew certainly make for inspiring reading.  They are poetical, too, in the style of ancient Hebrew poetry in that they use a device called parallelism: two statements which reflect on each other or state the same truth in different words.  Knowing this helps us to understand the confusion of those who first heard them, because the second statement of each line seems antithetical to the first.  Thus, “Blessed are the meek” might end with, “for they will be thought wise”, or something of the kind, but certainly not with, “for they will inherit the land”.  Like his parables, the Lord’s beatitudes turn the world upside down.  

But who are the “meek”, and what is this “land” they inherit? First, we must recognize that the Lord is speaking of enduring habits of mind, not of specific people.  He is not speaking of specific actions, either.  He does not say what it is that the “meek” do, for instance.  Examining the list, we might think that “peacemakers”, at least, “make peace”, but the Greek word can also be translated as “the peaceful”, which describes another enduring habit of mind.  So how do we understand these habits in today’s language, since words like “meek”, “poor in spirit”, and even “merciful” are hardly heard in these dark times?

To start with, the habits of mind of which the Lord Jesus speaks are his own.  He is describing the way he sees others, and his predispositions towards them.  Awareness of this helps us in our understanding.  Now, in what way is Jesus “poor in spirit”?  Isaiah tells us, “There is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him.  Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted” (Isaiah 53, 2-4).  The King of heaven and earth did not cling to his dignity but laid it aside to serve his creatures.  We imitate this poorness of spirit when we, adopted children of God and heirs of heaven, lay aside this dignity in order to serve others for the sake of our Lord.

Likewise, the Lord Jesus mourns our sinfulness: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone them that are sent unto you, how often would I have gathered together your children, as the hen does gather her chickens under her wings, and you would not have it? Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate” (Matthew 23, 37-38).  Again, this mourning is an enduring habit of the mind, not a single act.  We can have this in our minds by a continuous sorrow for our sins that results in penitential actions, and restrains us from further sin.  We also pray for the conversion of other sinners.  The “comfort” we receive is that of forgiveness.

As to the Lord’s meekness, St. Paul’s words might as well as been the Lord’s own: “For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more. And I became to the Jews a Jew, that I might gain the Jews: To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all” (1 Corinthians 9:19–22).  The Lord came to serve, not to be served, and not to demand service, as he himself said (Matthew 20, 28).  Likewise, we adopt the mindset of the servant who looks to convert all men, adapting ourselves to each person, learning about the person, and looking for the best way to introduce that person to the Lord — not aggressively but compassionately.  The “land” we shall inherit is heaven.

Jesus hungered and thirsted for righteousness.  We see this in the way he challenged and even rebuked those who put themselves forward as righteous, particularly the scribes and Pharisees.  We also see how he hungered and thirsted for the redemption of the world, even at the cost of his life: “I am come to cast fire on the earth. And what will I, but that it be kindled? And I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized. And how am I straitened until it be accomplished?” (Luke 12, 49-50).  Those who have this enduring habit have zeal for God’s cause and spend themselves as religious or lay missionaries abroad, or as religious brothers, sisters, and priests, or lay volunteers in any number of ministries, such as in food banks, soup kitchens, visiting the sick and the lonely aged.  The “satisfaction” they receive is the absolute serenity and freedom of any desire that is experienced in heaven.

Even when the Lord Jesus is rebuking the scribes, the Pharisees, and the self-righteous, he is displaying the mercy in his heart by not immediately subjecting them to punishment, but giving them notice and cause for repentance.  He is so merciful that he offers his mercy when it is not sought, as in the case of the paralyzed man whose sins he forgave (cf. Mark 2, 5) and in protecting an adulteress woman from being stoned (John 8, 11).  Even after his Resurrection, he does not flaunt his power before the trembling high priests.  Instead, he shows himself to his disciples.  When mercy is strong in us, we look for ways to raise up the fallen, to give encouragement, to feed the poor, to speak to the friendless.  When we walk into a room full of people laughing and talking, do we gravitate to people like ourselves or do we seek out the wallflowers and greet them?  In turn, God will welcome us into his palace where we will be greeted by the angels and saints.

The Lord Jesus was completely dedicated to his Father, and this is what “clean” or “pure” of heart means.  We see this very clearly when he says to his Father, “I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which you gave me to do” (John 17, 4).  Any action or habit which distracts us from God makes us impure.  This is most true when a person absorbs himself or herself with pornography and acts which parody sexual intimacy because these inflame the passions to such a degree that one becomes lost in it.  This also easily becomes an obsession and thoughts of God, let alone service to him, becomes impossible.  The “pure-hearted” Christian, by contrast, delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night (cf. Psalm 1, 2).  That is, the Christian’s preoccupation is God, and there is no interest in seeking distractions of any kind.  Because true Christians continually seek to please the Lord here on earth they will be called to a higher place (cf. Luke 14, 10) and there see him face to face.

While Jesus did say that he had come into the world “not to bring peace but a sword” “Matthew 10, 34), St. Paul rightly says, “He is our peace” (Ephesians 2, 14).  The Lord brings contention to those who want their way and do not desire to serve God, but he brings peace to those who truly desire it, and seek it in God.  He himself is our peace, freeing us from sin and from all our longings.  He shows this to us in the feedings of the four and five thousand.  Everyone ate until each was satisfied, and an abundance remained afterward.  We imitate this peacefulness in our own peacefulness, trusting the Lord, our Shepherd, to lead us to the restful waters, thereby attracting others to this peace and to its Author.  In acting as the adopted children of God, confident in their Father, God will recognize us as his beloved children on the last day before all the world.

The last two beatitudes speak of witnessing to truth and righteousness in such a way as to receive persecution from the children of this world, and certainly the Lord did.  His courageous preaching and his good works excited envy on the part of those who lived only for themselves and saw themselves as losing the esteem and support of others if he was not stopped somehow.  We imitate the Lord in this by courageously living out our lives in him and in seeking to promote his teachings while obeying them ourselves.  Persecution will come our way as a result, but by holding fast, we will receive the crown of life the Lord reserves for those who love him (cf. James 1, 12).