“A Beautiful Attitude” By: Andrew Scala, Fiat Ventures
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
There are many schools of thought when it comes to the “right way” to live one’s life. I personally have a lot of friends who swear by traveling; that you find yourself through finding new places. Some friends of mine agree that you need to focus yourself on a career; that scaling the ladder of success is what descends life within your grasp. Still others maintain that none of that matters at all; that focusing on our core yearnings leads to true purpose.
I suppose that, despite my own infinite wisdom, I can’t disprove that any of these things are, in fact, incorrect. I’ve certainly been one to find happiness in traveling, success in the corporate world, and yes, even elation in listening to my own heart. Yet I think that despite our endeavors into experiencing all that the world has to offer us, we can be met with fleeting feelings of happiness, rather than lasting ones. The true danger lies in mistaking these fleeting feelings as the true “right way”.
This Sunday’s Gospel is one of my favorites because it’s almost devoid of ambiguity in the sense that Jesus doesn’t leave us mortals much room to put our own spin on it. To me, that’s the beauty of the 9 examples of “supreme blessedness”, or Beatitudes. Straight from His mouth comes the almost echoing decree that the meek “will inherit the Earth”, that the mournful “will be comforted”, and that the peacemakers “will be called children of God.” That the poor in spirit have the Kingdom of Heaven waiting for them, the clean of heart “will see God”, and that those who yearn and plead for righteousness “will be satisfied.”
Granted, it doesn’t hurt that God reminds us of two ideas that are especially poignant in our world today: Simply that those who show mercy will be given mercy, and that those who are persecuted for their love of God will be wrapped in it in Heaven. There are no words more beautiful, uniting, and needed by the ears of 2017.
And herein lies Jesus’ message in the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel: “I am the ‘right way’”. He’s shaping our attitude, giving us a moral and spiritual compass to go along with the musings of our hearts. Traveling and succeeding professionally are some of the great pleasures of this world, but must be done with the mindset that the Beatitudes give in order for us to travel, and succeed, in the next.
The final Beatitude, in its entirety, states “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.” We need this sentiment as a people, as a country, and as a world. For these 9 guidelines give us more than just some spiritual help: They give us a most beautiful attitude.
