The Beatitudes and the Danger of Missing the Gospel

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:04:45] The intention for this morning's Mass is a special intention for Mary Ann Custer.
[00:04:55] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Lord be with you.
[00:05:05] Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
[00:05:22] Lord Jesus, you are the word made flesh and splendor of the Father. Lord, have mercy.
[00:05:30] You are the good shepherd leading and guiding your flock. Christ, have mercy. You intercede for us with your Father. Lord, have mercy. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. And we'll just recite together the Gloria. Glory to God in
[00:06:01] the highest and on earth, peace to people of goodwill. We praise you. We bless you. We adore you. We glorify you. We give you thanks for your great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, O God, Almighty Father, Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
[00:06:25] Father, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. You take away the sins of the world.
[00:06:33] Receive our prayer. You are seated at the right hand of the Father. Have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the
[00:06:48] Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Let us pray. Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind and love everyone in truth of heart through our Lord Jesus Christ,
[00:07:15] your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
[00:07:25] Is there someone who would be interested in volunteering for the readings today? Anybody?
[00:07:33] Anybody with experience who would like to give it a try? Oh, yes. Come on up. First reading, the Responsorial Psalm, and the second reading. Thank you. Be seated.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:07:49] A reading from the book of the prophet Zephaniah.
[00:08:10] Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law.
[00:08:16] Seek justice, seek humility.
[00:08:19] Perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger.
[00:08:23] But I will leave as a remnant in your midst, a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord, the remnant of Israel.
[00:08:33] They shall do no wrong and speak no lies.
[00:08:36] nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue they shall pastor and couch their flocks with none to disturb them the word of the lord thanks be to god the responsorial psalm blessed are the poor in spirit the kingdom of heaven is theirs the kingdom of heaven is theirs
[00:09:01] the lord keeps faith forever secures justice for the oppressed gives food to the hungry the lord sets captives free. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The kingdom of heaven is theirs.
[00:09:18] The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just. The Lord protects strangers. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The kingdom of heaven is theirs. The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains, but the way of the wicked he
[00:09:40] torts. The Lord shall reign forever. Your God, O Zion, through all generations. Hallelujah.
[00:09:48] Blessed are the poor in spirit. The kingdom of heaven is yours.
[00:10:01] A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
[00:10:05] Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards.
[00:10:11] Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong. And God chose
[00:10:25] the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are
[00:10:39] in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that as it is written, whoever boasts shall boast in the Lord. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

[00:11:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:11:27] Rejoice and be glad. Your reward will be great in heaven.

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:11:39] the Lord be with you. A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to
[00:12:05] teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[00:12:13] Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
[00:12:19] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
[00:12:24] Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
[00:12:33] Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
[00:12:39] Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
[00:12:43] 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
[00:13:12] me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. The Gospel of the Lord.
[00:13:28] Be seated. The first reading today from the book of the prophet Zephaniah, probably one of the prophets that we're not that familiar with, but I think there's an important example given in this reading, kind of a good sign. The reading begins, Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who
[00:13:58] have observed his law. Seek justice, seek humility. I leave you as a remnant in your midst of people humble and lowly and faithful. If you read through the Old Testament, you'll see a cycle with the
[00:14:16] Israelites, there's a sense of following God, then there's a sense of sin or falling away, even paganism, and then of some kind of punishment, and then repentance, and then the cycle kind of continues away. But even through all of these times of backsliding
[00:14:38] and all that there was always a faithful remnant the people that were true to the faith and humble well i can use that as a as an analogy this mass sometimes has between seven and eight hundred
[00:14:55] participants so you are the faithful remnant of the 10 o'clock crowd today here today the faithful ones who have come through the weather and everything there's a a sense there that the the remnant is getting stronger last sunday at 10 we had 10 at the 10 a.m so now we've got about
[00:15:16] four or five times that today so the remnant is growing uh and in strength and in holiness the um there's something about fresh snow and here on a all day yesterday and into the night
[00:15:32] on a sunny day. There's something about fresh snowfall and a nice morning that I think brings a certain childlike joy to many people, regardless of age. I saw that yesterday, last night, as Father Engelbert looking out the kitchen window with a great joy on his face.
[00:15:56] I've never been to Cameroon, but I don't think they get this kind of weather in Cameroon that often but just a sense of all of that white in it and even at night it's almost like it's
[00:16:07] glowing I guess reflecting the the night sky and it seems like everything is at peace in that time the gospel passage known as the sermon on the mount the beatitudes it's been a series of verses
[00:16:26] that have been studied, have been preached on, used in meditations and retreats. I can remember when I was new in the priesthood and just trying to get a handle on all of the sacraments and
[00:16:40] sacramental preparation and liturgies, you know, meeting with couples for the sacrament of marriage.
[00:16:49] This is one of ten options for the gospel for a marriage.
[00:16:56] And then somewhere along the way, I realized as well, meeting with families for funeral planning, that it's also a gospel passage suitable for funerals.
[00:17:08] And it's the only gospel passage that's in both lectionaries for funerals and weddings.
[00:17:13] And I think that says something about its importance and also its, you know, its depth for it.
[00:17:22] And it's been called a great sermon.
[00:17:26] I can remember, I think it was even on the radio, there was a preacher on the radio years ago speaking about the Beatitudes.
[00:17:36] And he used the image of a map.
[00:17:39] Now, some of you remember the days before GPS and digital directions and all these kinds of things.
[00:17:46] That if you were going somewhere and you weren't exactly sure of your destination, you relied on a map.
[00:17:54] And a map that you can sometimes unfold it and find your way.
[00:17:59] Well, he was using the image that the Beatitudes are like a map.
[00:18:02] a map from earth to heaven, and helping us to find our way, certainly with these virtues that are expressed, and then the corresponding reward of that virtue.
[00:18:17] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit, that is the humble, those who recognize God's sovereignty and our dependence, our need for God to lead us,
[00:18:36] the poor in spirit, not the bold or the pushy or anything, but the poor in spirit, down to earth. Blessed are they who mourn for they will be comforted. And we can often relate mourning with the loss of a loved one, a friend, some situation, and it shows a sense of emotion
[00:19:03] of grieving, of not just brushing it off, but, you know, allowing that. I can remember after the death of my mother, which was very traumatic, and in a sense she was only 59, and I had to be there
[00:19:23] as, you know, it was only a couple years after I was ordained to be there for the funeral and the graveside and all of that, that it really didn't even hit me until maybe a couple weeks
[00:19:34] later. Again, but blessed are those who mourn that really have that sense of sensitivity of heart.
[00:19:43] They will be comforted. Blessed are the meek. They will inherit the land. Usually I would relate meekness with humility, the meek and the humble. I think there's a little difference, the meek in a sense of peaceful, of patience, of gentleness. You know, sometimes people come
[00:20:07] in the office and can be very demanding. And I would say probably not someone that I would categorize as meek, you know, being very demanding, but people that are gentle, soft-spoken, the meek. They will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
[00:20:31] They will be satisfied. The Lord doesn't say blessed are those who hunger and thirst for riches or for material possessions or for recognition or for authority. No, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who see a righteous path, and using that image of hunger,
[00:20:57] not for hunger for burgers or pizza, but hunger for righteousness. And sometimes that can be a silent prayer, or a quiet witness, or some assistance in some way. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. We have in Scripture, the
[00:21:23] Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion. And the Lord said, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Those who participate in the sacrament of penance, that is an encounter with divine mercy. And so as the Lord is merciful to us, we too
[00:21:46] should be merciful to others. There's a sense of the worst sinner that you can imagine can celebrate the sacrament of penance and be absolved. So again, whatever we have against people or people done hurt one another whatever uh there's a call to be merciful
[00:22:16] kind of let things go out you can't hold on to things uh forever you know there comes a time to show mercy blessed are the clean that is the pure of heart they will see god and again i can
[00:22:31] say a pure purity of intentions purity of priorities you know no conniving or deceitfulness but the pure of heart they will see God blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God when I used to hear that I would think of well okay well so-and-so won the
[00:22:57] the nobel peace prize or something and those are great achievements and things but it can be much more local the peacemakers as a pastor i've been involved with families for years now and it's very
[00:23:16] sad when i hear and learn of divisions in families sometimes among siblings or parents to children an estrangement, people not talking to each other, even family members taking other family members to court over inheritance or things like that. So the peacemaker doesn't have to be, you know,
[00:23:36] in the United Nations or anything. It could be a peacemaker right in the family, you know, trying to get two siblings to reconcile or things like that. Blessed are the peacemakers.
[00:23:48] Blessed are those persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Theirs is the kingdom. Certainly we look to the martyrs. Many of the saints were persecuted in their own time. And those who insult you or persecute you falsely because of your faith, rejoice and be glad. Your reward
[00:24:09] will be great in heaven. So in a certain sense, even in that context, not to grumble or complain about the situation but recognizing that God recognizes the path of righteousness so again the Beatitudes before us and I agree with that preacher I don't remember who it was
[00:24:31] it can be in a sense like a map from this life to eternal life I believe in one God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
[00:25:01] I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men, for our salvation,
[00:25:23] he came down from heaven and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.
[00:25:31] For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the
[00:25:50] dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
[00:26:04] who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church.
[00:26:10] I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life, the world to come. Amen. Let us pray for the needs of the church and the world.
[00:26:26] We pray for the church throughout the world, united in faith and fellowship and unity.
[00:26:35] We pray to the Lord. We pray that civil officials may certainly use their positions for the greater good of society, certainly to bring reconciliation in places where it's needed, and outreach to the needy. We pray to the Lord. We pray for those preparing for sacraments here in our parish, a lot
[00:27:00] training going on for First Communion, for confirmation, for marriage. We pray to the Lord.
[00:27:10] For the sick and those who care for them with compassion, we pray to the Lord.
[00:27:14] we pray for eternal peace for the faithful departed especially from families we pray to the Lord for vocations throughout the church we pray to the Lord eternal and gracious God we lift up these prayers to you from our hearts we pray that you grant them through Christ our Lord and if
[00:27:43] there would be two uh dear dear people to bring up the gifts that are in the very back behind the back pew. No, the, yeah, the bread and the wine. And there's a basket in the center aisle. And
[00:28:23] on your way out, you can put a, on your way out, you can put either donation envelope or donation right into the basket at the end. God bless you. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation.
[00:29:11] For through your goodness, we have received the bread we offer you. Fruit of the earth and work of human hands. It will become for us the bread of life. Blessed are you, Lord God of all
[00:29:50] creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink. Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father. O Lord, we bring to your
[00:30:52] altar these offerings of our service. Be pleased to receive them, we pray, and transform them into the sacrament of our redemption through Christ our Lord. The Lord be with you.
[00:31:08] lift up your hearts let us give thanks to the lord our god it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks lord holy father almighty and eternal
[00:31:28] god for you so love the world that in your mercy you sent us the redeemer to live like us in all things, but sin, so that you might love in us what you loved in your Son, by whose obedience
[00:31:45] we have been restored to those gifts of yours, that by sinning we had lost in disobedience.
[00:31:54] And so, Lord, with all the angels and saints, we too give you thanks, as in exaltation we acclaim holy holy holy lord god of host heaven and earth are full of your glory hosanna in the highest blessed is he who comes the name of the lord hosanna in the highest
[00:32:21] you are indeed holy oh lord and all you have created rightly gives you praise for through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all
[00:32:37] things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting, a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name. Therefore, O Lord,
[00:32:53] we humbly implore you, by the same Spirit, graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries. For on the night he was betrayed, he himself took
[00:33:16] bread, and giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body which will be given up for you
[00:33:35] in a similar way when supper was ended he took the chalice and giving you thanks he said the blessing and gave the chalice to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it
[00:34:03] for this is the chalice of my blood the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me mystery of faith
[00:34:35] we proclaim your death oh lord and profess your resurrection until you come again therefore O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving passion of your Son, his wondrous resurrection and ascension into heaven,
[00:34:57] and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.
[00:35:06] Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your church and recognizing the sacrificial victim by whose death you will to reconcile us to yourself. Grant that we, who are nourished by the body and blood of
[00:35:21] your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect,
[00:35:35] especially with the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her spouse, with your blessed apostles and glorious martyrs, with St. Therese and with all the saints on whose constant intercession in your presence
[00:35:53] we rely for unfailing help.
[00:35:56] May this sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world.
[00:36:06] Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim church on earth with your servant Leo, our Pope, and Michael, our Bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own.
[00:36:24] Listen graciously to the prayers of this family whom you have summoned before you.
[00:36:31] In your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world.
[00:36:40] To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who are pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom.
[00:36:51] There we hope to enjoy forever the fullness of your glory through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
[00:37:04] through him, and with him, and in him, O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever. At the Savior's command, and formed by divine
[00:37:26] teaching, we dare to say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us
[00:37:45] our trespasses as we forgive those trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days, that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all
[00:38:11] distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, peace I leave you, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your
[00:38:34] church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign forever and ever. The peace of the Lord be with you always. And let us offer each other a sign of
[00:38:55] Peace. Peace to you. Peace, everybody. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
[00:39:27] Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Grant us peace. Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him.
[00:40:04] who takes away the sins of the world.
[00:40:07] Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
[00:40:13] Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
[00:46:19] Let us pray.
[00:46:30] Nourished by these redeeming gifts, we pray, O Lord, that through this help to eternal salvation, true faith may ever increase through Christ our Lord. It is a beautiful day, so just a reminder for everyone to be careful on your way around. There's still some slick spots out there. And
[00:46:54] certainly I'm appreciative of all those who make the effort in such weather conditions, so appreciate your faithfulness in making this effort today. In lieu of announcements, you're welcome to take a copy of the bulletin. We do have a lot of activities in the next few weeks,
[00:47:20] so if you just pick up a bulletin and read through that, and there are some contact information for some of the events coming up. You can always check the website as well. There should be plenty of copies of the bulletin this weekend. The Lord be with you.
[00:47:41] May Almighty God bless you, Father and the Son and Holy Spirit. Go in peace.