The Beatitudes teach us when the going gets tough, they remind us of the eternal happiness that awaits us, and they force us to look Jesus square in the face.
Jesus announces the promises in the Beatitudes to those who are suffering: the poor; the persecuted; those who mourn, etc. This encourages us who find ourselves and others frequently in challenging circumstances.
Jesus promises wonderful things: comfort; mercy; consolation; the kingdom of heaven, etc. It's natural to allow this to motivate us.
The Beatitudes are not shallow, meaningless cliches handed down from who-knows where. They are spoken to us from Jesus' own mouth. They carry his authority.
Pick a beatitude and work on it.
The homily went well. The place was packed with families from the School as we emphasized Catholic Schools Week. That gave a nice context for Jesus' 'teaching.'
I mentioned JFK's 50th anniversary of his inaugural address and compared it with the Sermon on the Mount in terms of both coming at the beginning of the public ministry.
I mentioned "Blessed are those who mourn" in the context of being at the March for Life and there learning about Billy Mitchell's senseless murder from a few days prior.
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