Blessed are You
“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.”Mt. 5:1-2a
What do you think of when you hear “he went up the mountain?” Maybe you never really thought of it before. What do you think of when you hear it now? Maybe a nice hike or a moment of happiness having reached the summit or high point. But today I invite you to think about this in a different light. Jesus went up the mountain. Whenever we hear of or read about mountains we know that something important is going to happen. Mountains are places of encounter between God and His people. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, the Law, the guidelines by which people follow to walk in ways acceptable to God‘s eyes. Jesus went up to the mountain to teach and to give the Beatitudes. These are not just rules or laws to prevent one from sinning, but rather they go deeper. The Beatitudes are ways by which one can become a saint. They lead us to grow deeper in our relationship with God and with one another. They lead us to heaven.
Each one begins with “blessed.” What does “blessed” mean? Some may say happy, and others joyful. To be blessed does not imply that life will be without its challenges; it does mean that we will be able to go through life knowing that all that happens, good and bad, will bring us closer to God. What are some of the blessings in your life? Every morning I give thanks to God for having another day, for being given a family who loves me, and friends who support me. Have you counted your blessings today?
