Beatitudes: A Kingdom Shift ( From Father Bob’s Homily, Feb 1)
Jesus looked upon His disciples and realized they were not fully understanding His teaching.
They were hearing Him in worldly terms, not in Kingdom of God terms.
Because He is God—and because He is brilliant—Jesus gives the disciples what we call the Beatitudes.
They are spiritual “brain teasers.”
At first, they don’t seem to make sense.
How can someone who is persecuted be considered blessed?
How can someone who mourns be considered happy?
In human terms, it makes no sense.
But in God’s terms, it makes perfect sense.
🙏🏼Blessed are the poor in spirit
This is not about how much money we have.
It is about how much God we have in our lives.
🙏🏼Blessed are those who mourn
We are all the walking wounded.
We all experience suffering, hardship, loss, and sadness.
But when we realize that our loss can give something to others,
when our wounds become a source of compassion,
we become wounded healers.
Even in sadness and loss, we can still share God with the world and with others.
🙏🏼Blessed are the meek
Jesus is not talking about weakness.
He is talking about humility.
Humility is knowing the truth about ourselves in relation to God.
It includes a healthy reverence for God and an understanding of our place in His order.
When we know our place before God,
we grow in strength and clarity.
🙏🏼Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
This is about saying:
“Thy will be done — not my will.”
It is about God’s truth, not my truth.
Our culture often says, “Live your truth.”
But for Christians, it is not about my way.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Righteousness means striving to live in God’s grace
and in friendship with Christ.
🙏🏼Blessed are the merciful
Mercy is often misunderstood as being opposed to justice.
But mercy, love, and justice are deeply connected.
Mercy does not erase justice.
Mercy shapes justice.
Justice gives what is owed.
Mercy goes further — offering healing and grace.
As St. Thomas Aquinas teaches:
“Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution.”
True mercy never abandons justice.
🙏🏼Blessed are the clean of heart
This is not only about purity in behavior.
It is about being single-minded.
A clean heart begins in the mind —
desiring God, thinking as God thinks,
and allowing that to form our hearts and our desires.
🙏🏼Blessed are the peacemakers
We do not need awards to be peacemakers.
Peacemaking means dealing honestly with conflict
in a broken world,
guided by prudence, justice, courage, and strength.
🙏🏼Blessed are those who are persecuted
Jesus reminds us:
“If they hated Me, they will hate you.”
Why are the persecuted blessed?
Because they bear light.
They share the light and love of Christ.
Those who choose darkness resist that light.
Being a baptized Catholic does not free us from suffering.
But it gives meaning to it.
▶️▶️▶️ The Kingdom Shift
Jesus wants His disciples—and us—to move
from understanding His teaching in a worldly way
to understanding it in a Kingdom of God way.
When we make that shift,
everything begins to make sense.
It gives us clarity.
It gives us courage.
It gives us peace.
