Monday June 8, 2020
…for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
…for they will be comforted.
…for they will inherit the land.
…for they will be satisfied.
…for they will be shown mercy.
…for they will see God.
…for they will be called children of God.
…for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
…for your reward will be great in heaven.
(See Matthew 5)
Listed above are all the rewards of living the Beatitudes. Read them slowly and prayerfully. Do you desire these good fruits? These rewards of the Beatitudes? Of course you do! It’s a good spiritual practice to start with the reward, the effect of something, and to let the desire for that reward grow. The same is true of sin. It’s a good practice, especially when one struggles with a habitual sin, to start with the effect of that sin (the negative effect) and ask whether or not you desire it.
But today we have the Beatitudes. And as we ponder the fruits of the Beatitudes, we can’t help but conclude that we deeply desire them. This is a good and healthy realization to come to.
From there, we only need to add one extra step. Once we’ve concluded, with a deep conviction, that we desire the fruits of the Beatitudes, we then only need to add the first step. We insert the Beatitude into this desire so that we can understand and believe that the Beatitude is good and desirous. But what about the Beatitudes? Do you desire…
To be poor in spirit,
to mourn,
to be meek,
to hunger and thirst for righteousness,
to be merciful,
to be clean of heart,
to be a peacemaker,
to accept persecution for the sake of righteousness,
and to be insulted and persecuted and to have every kind of evil uttered about you falsely because of Jesus?
Hmmm, perhaps or perhaps not. Some seem desirous while others seem burdensome. But if these Beatitudes are properly understood in the context of their fruits (i.e., the blessings they produce), then our desire for the means to that good fruit (the Beatitude) should grow as well.
Perhaps, today, you can look at which Beatitude is most difficult for you to want and desire. Once you find it, look at the fruit it produces and spend time looking at that Beatitude within that context. It will help you grow in blessedness!
Lord, help make me humble and meek, pure of heart and merciful, a peacemaker and one who accepts any persecution that comes my way. Help me to receive all with joy and with a longing for Your Kingdom.
God bless you. Have a wonderful day.