This week, we are using daily meditations prepared by the World Council of Churches in celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We encourage you to take time this week to pray specifically for the witness of Christ’s Church throughout the world.
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. 2 He taught them, saying:
3 “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
7 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
8 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
9 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.
10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. 12 Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.
Reflection
The Word of God is very close to us. It is a blessing and a promise of happiness. If we open our hearts, God speaks to us and patiently transforms that which is dying in us. God removes that which prevents the growth of real life, just as the vine grower prunes the vine.
Regularly meditating on a biblical text, alone or in a group, changes our outlook. Many Christians pray the Beatitudes every day. The Beatitudes reveal to us a happiness that is hidden in that which is unfulfilled, a happiness that lies beyond suffering: blessed are those who, touched by the Spirit, no longer hold back their tears but let them flow and thus receive consolation. As they discover the wellspring hidden within their inner landscape, the hunger for justice, and the thirst to engage with others for a world of peace, grows in them.
We are constantly called to renew our commitment to life, through our thoughts and actions. There are times when we already taste, here and now, the blessing that will be fulfilled at the end of time.
Pray and work that God may reign.
Words recited daily by the Sisters of the Grandchamp Community
Throughout your day let the Word of God breathe life into work and rest.
Maintain inner silence in all things so as to dwell in Christ.
Be filled with the spirit of the Beatitudes: joy, simplicity, mercy.
Courtesy of the Monastic Community of Grandchamp, Switzerland.
For Pondering & Prayer
Today, choose just one of the Beatitudes. Carry it with you through the day as you work, exercise, rest, do household tasks, or whatever you find yourself doing. Write it down and look at it regularly. Try to commit it to memory. At the end of the day, take some time to reflect on how your understanding of this verse from God’s Word has changed and grown.
Prayer: Blessed are you, God our Father, for the gift of your word in Holy Scripture. Blessed are you for its transforming power. Help us choose life and guide us by your Spirit, so that we can experience the happiness which you want so much to share with us.
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