February 1, 2026 at Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint William Churches in Naples, FL
Zephaniah 2:3; 3 12-13 + Psalm 46+ 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31 + Matthew 5: 1-12
Let’s try that again: Blessed are rich who can take care of themselves. Blessed are those who never know a loss. Blessed are the powerful. Blessed are those who are realistic and compromise their principles at every turn. Blessed are those who demand an eye for an eye. Blessed are the clever alert and seizing every opportunity for gain. Blessed are those bold enough to make war. Blessed are those who do good things expecting great praise. Blessed are those who follow Jesus until it gets tough.
That’s the way most of this world works, the world into Jesus was born and the world in which he first spoke on that hillside. It really has not changed much which ought to make us a little uncomfortable since so many have given their lives to change it, revealing for us those who have God’s favor. If we can believe what Jesus says, the truly blessed are ultimately and actually the gentle, the merciful, peace makers, and the poor.
The Beatitudes are not a code of ethics, an instruction for righteous living, or a list of tasks that once complete will gain God’s favor. These Beatitudes describe those who have God’s favor, the victims of a society that is far from the Kingdom of God. These are words of hope and encouragement. They acknowledge that God knows the poor, the sad, the meek, the merciful, pure of heart, and peacemakers. God knows who waits for justice and those who are persecuted. They have God’s favor. They are the Blessed ones. At the same time, the Beatitudes are not calling anyone to become victims. They simply call our attention to those who are victims. So that perhaps, we might bless them too with attention, favor, respect, and concern. Perhaps by our willingness to walk with them, share their suffering, and lift them up, we might also begin to know what it is to be Blessed.
Years ago, a parish I was leading began to support, frequently visit, and share what we had in abundance with a large orphanage in Haiti. What we all discovered is that in coming to know them, what we gave was far less than what we gained. They were more of a blessing to us than anything we gave to them. As Cardinal Bernadine of Chicago years ago said at a gathering of wealthy donors: “The poor need us, and we need the poor to keep us out of hell.” What we can see through the Beatitudes is a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God must be like and will be like when we truly chose to make it our home.