November 1, 2020: Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Solemnity of All Saints

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Reflection

This Sunday offers us one of the most beautiful and challenging lessons given to us by Jesus. It’s a lesson on who we are called to Be. It seems to me that we are called to these Be Attitudes every day. I know I want to be merciful. Being a peacemaker is a daunting task, yet we are called to this by Jesus. If we need examples all we need do is turn to the saints. Reading about their lives is, to me, encouraging and offers hope for us all. Consider Saint Mother Theodore, Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Saint John Paul II. They all have lessons to teach us about living the Beatitudes.

Action

Consider this week your path to holiness through the beatitudes. We are all on different paths to holiness on our way to becoming a saint. So perhaps go to the saints for guidance. Use the gifts of their lives as encouragement.