All Saints' Sunday (CL)

Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 

² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Jesus gives us a list of truth statements. These are not conditional sentences. These are purely statements of fact. Jesus declares that these various groups of people are blessed. It is not a command to be like one of these groups of people, in order to be blessed. This is purely a gift from God.

There are some people who may struggle to find themselves in one of these groups. But you could even find yourself in multiple groups listed. You may recognize there are different blessings, but all these blessings seem to entail the gift of everlasting life with God.

Sin can often blind us. It can make us think we are not worthy for what God has done for you. But Jesus is telling you, this gift is for you. You are called to be Gods disciples. Jesus has done the work for you. He even prepares you for the time when you might question whether you are still blessed. When suffering or persecution comes remember you're blessed.