Good Morning. There is probably no teaching given to us by Our Lord more important and more challenging toward living a good life than that of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes, outlined for us in today's Gospel, ask more of us than simply following the rules. In the Beatitudes we are asked to strive beyond just doing the right thing. In marriage this translates into going beyond just fulfilling the do’s and don’ts of married life, beyond taking out the garbage as scheduled. It means reaching beyond the minimum requirements and making every effort to be that person whom our spouse fell in love with.
Pope Benedict XVI in a Homily presented to youth from Korazim, Mount of the Beatitudes offers us some very sound words to consider: “Because you are aware of another voice within you and all around you, a contradictory voice. It is a voice which says, “Blessed are the proud and violent, those who prosper at any cost, who are unscrupulous, pitiless, devious, who make war not peace, and persecute those who stand in their way”. And this voice seems to make sense in a world where the violent often triumph and the devious seem to succeed. “Yes”, says the voice of evil, “they are the ones who win. Happy are they! Jesus offers a very different message…His call has always demanded a choice between the two voices competing for your hearts even now on this hill, the choice between good and evil, between life and death.”
Yes, living the Beatitudes in our married life means waking up each and every morning and making the effort to be that person despite whatever else may be going on in our lives. The Beatitudes call us to live beyond the specific rules of marriage and they challenge us to be an attitude that takes us beyond just doing the absolute minimum. They challenge us to not only take out the garbage, but to do it with an attitude—to do it with love. So, choose your attitude! Make a great day!
Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Saint Paphnutius.
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