Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Wednesday, 13^th September 2017.

Twenty Third Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Col 3: 1-11;

Ps 144: 2,3,10-13;

Lk 6: 20-26

BLESSEDNESS OF THE BEATITUDES!

Every human heart is made for happiness. God in himself, in his divine Trinity, is supreme bliss, supreme joy and supreme happiness. Today’s Scriptures tell us that the poor are on the safer way to greater happiness than the rich. The human soul, with its sublime beauty and capacity for divinization, is tainted, tarnished and defiled by becoming enslaved to material wealth and pleasure. The disordered desire for money, houses, land and property have ruined the happiness of many individuals and families.

The Beatitudes can seem quite confusing. And when we strive to live them, they can be very challenging. Why is it blessed to be poor and hungry? Why is one blessed who is weeping and hated? These are difficult questions with perfect answers.

The truth is that each Beatitude ends with a glorious outcome when fully embraced in accord with the will of God. Poverty, hunger, sorrow and persecution are not, by themselves blessings. But when they befall us they do offer an opportunity for a blessing from God that far surpasses any difficulty the initial challenge presents. Poverty affords one the opportunity to seek out the riches of Heaven above all else. Hunger drives a person to seek the food of God that sustains beyond what the world can offer. Weeping, when caused by one’s own sin or the sins of others, helps us seek justice, repentance, truth and mercy. And persecution on account of Christ enables us to be purified in our faith and to trust in God in a way that leaves us abundantly blessed and filled with joy. Beatitudes teach us that the wisdom of God is far beyond our own limited human understanding.

Reflect, today, upon the incredible wisdom of God as He reveals these, the deepest teachings of the spiritual life. If you struggle to make sense of something painful and difficult in your life, know that God has an answer if you but seek out His wisdom.

Prayer: Lord, help me to find blessings in the many challenges and hardships of life. Rather than seeing my crosses as evil, help me to see Your hand at work in transforming them and to experience a greater outpouring of Your grace in all things. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.