We can also reflect on how similar our current situation is to that of Jesus’ first followers. Like them, we also live in days of uncertainty, haunted by threats of violence, but the Beatitudes promise that what we experience today will lead to future joy. Like those women and men so many years ago, we also need to take Jesus’ promises to heart and remember the blessings promised to the poor, to the meek, to mourners, and to those who suffer persecution for their faith in Christ. Reflecting on this, Sister Barbara Reid, OP, notes that the way of life outlined in the Beatitudes “is able to heal the hurtful memories of the past and to transform the present toward a hope-filled future…Jesus addresses this teaching to all His disciples and to a great crowd, inviting them to recognize their capacity for happiness in the present by espousing attitudes and actions that will influence the future”.
Adults: When you heard the Beatitudes today, which one did you hear most clearly as a summons to your own life?
Children: When have you been a peacemaker among your family or friends?
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