Attitudes Of Being | June 6, 2016

June 6, 2016

I love the Beatitudes because it is basically Jesus’ twitter page, with bite sized “tweets” for how to look and live like him. Some hashtags that might apply are: #happy #word #mournthis #todayimwearingChrist #righteousdude #thenameofGodismercy #hungry4righteousness #tbt (to beattitude or not to) #thestruggleisreal #makelovenotwar #givepeaceachance #persecutethis…sorry, I digress. The beatitudes give us a basic spiritual recipe of how to live in God’s image, or even deeper, of how to “be” an “attitude” of Christ (please excuse the cliché as I know I am not the first one to have ever used “be-attitude” before). So here’s the recipe to clothe us in Christ’s being, and in God’s attitude:

• Be poor in spirit. God has a soft heart for those that keep it simple and he says that spiritual simplicity will get us everything.
• Be sorry (mourn). This virtue is the opposite of shame and it allows us to recognize our sin and shortcomings with humility and sorrow, and to remorsefully apologize for the things we have done that hurt. God sees this as a way of being that will draw comfort to us in our dark times.
• Be meek. God loves when we exercise our strength by pulling back when necessary and in allowing His power to prevail in our lives rather than our own pride.
• Be hungry and thirsty for what is right. God wants us to live well and to have an appetite for the good things that He has created. Only when we feast on the good and the right will we ever be truly satiated.
• Be merciful and you will be shown mercy. The name of God is mercy and the face of mercy is Jesus. When we live the name of God we will receive the face of God.
• Be clean in your heart. There are so many things that can stain our hearts, but grace and reconciliation are the best ways to keep it clean. When our heart is clouded, our eyes can’t see God right in front of us.
• Be peacemakers. I could be real trite and say, “make love not war”, but I will focus on, “for they will be called children of God,” part. They will know we belong to God or that God’s DNA is in us if we make peace with others and if we promote peace among all that are fighting or in chaos. Peace is God’s presence in the world.
• Be convicted for the sake of righteousness even if you are oppressed and judged because of it. God wants us to live for the best always.
• Be strong when people insult you, hurt you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely because of your relationship with God. I think we can all relate to being hurt by others, being misunderstood, and having evil things said about us, but rest in the good news that God has a treasure waiting for us in Heaven if we endure these things with love.

Be all that you can be (wow, I am one cliché-slinging-girl today!), and all that you can be is an attitude of God, which is ultimately someone that does all with great love. Have a blessed or beatitude day!!

Reading 1 1 KGS 17:1-6

Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The LORD then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the LORD had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.

Responsorial Psalm PS 121:1BC-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (see 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
Indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Alleluia MT 5:12A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 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.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”