8Th JUNE.MONDAY OF WEEK 10

READINGS

1.2Corinthians 1:1-7( God comforts us in our troubles so that we may comfort others)

2. Gospel: Mathew 5:1-12(The Beatitudes, our basic principles for living)

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Poverty is the thing that we do not want in our lives, we always struggle to ensure that we get out of poverty situation through working hard. However today as we hear from our scripture readings we hear poverty being given the first priority, being the quality of Jesus’ disciple. People who are more poor and neglected are not necessarily holier or more spiritual. In a literal sense encouraging poverty automatically is to encourage laziness, vice, stealing and disregard for the property and even the lives of others.

The first beatitude is spoken to the “poor in spirit.” –This is a kind of humility based upon reliance on God rather than on fame and fortune. This is however linked with patience, and compassion which is the rubber stamp of Jesus’ fellowship. Today’s texts are giving an invitation to have the serving spirit-Leadership and point out to the good results to be achieved. Such leadership from our Catechists, deacons, priests, and bishops will foster a strong caring community, a persevering community and foreshadows the kingdom of God. In such community those who have really learned and shared the sufferings of Christ will easily share his consolation.

In our everyday life experiences we usually find out that people tend to portray themselves, and portraying how others are before them. When Jesus spoke of the beatitudes he was painting the portrait of himself. He is poor in spirit, that means he depends on God for everything; he mourns because God’s will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven; he hungers and thirsty for what is right, for what God wants, and is prepared to suffer to bring that about; he wants what only God wants. Jesus in making his self portrait he was also portraying the image of what his followers should be. We cannot become the person of our own portrait; we need the Holy Spirit who works within us to make sure that we are moulded into Christ’s image.