Scripture: Matthew 5:6, 33-37
Journal: What is your deepest hunger and thirst right now? How do you hunger and thirst for
righteousness? How does that work its
way out into your life? How does it
affect what you say?
Reflection:
I love how the beatitudes set the tone for the
entire Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells
us who to be, and then he shows us how that should affect what we do. It is almost as if he is painting a picture
of what life in the kingdom of God is all about, in contrast to that of the
world around us. There should be a
qualitative difference between God’s people and the people of this world, all
the way down to our yes and our no.
Our very lives should be so
saturated with his righteousness and his truth that there is never any reason
for us to try and convince those around us that what is coming out of our
mouths is actually one with what is going on in our hearts. A simple yes or no should
suffice, because those around us know us well enough to know that we are not
given to embellishing or exaggerating.
We are not trying, unlike the rest of our culture, to spin “the
truth” to our advantage. We are not
trying to sell anyone anything.
We just speak simply and truthfully.
Our lives and our hearts are one.
A hunger and thirst for righteousness is our driving force. A hunger and thirst for righteousness determines
what we do and what we say, not a hunger and thirst for affirmation, or
advantage, or success.
So the question becomes,
“What hunger and thirst is ruling our lives these days?” Is it a hunger for God and his kingdom, or a
hunger for this world and the things of this world? Maybe whether our yes is yes and
our no is no can give us a hint.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: You called, You cried, you shattered my
deafness. You sparkled, you blazed, You
drove away my blindness. You shed your
fragrance, and I drew in my breath, and I pant for You. I tasted and now I hunger and thirst. You touched me, and now I burn with longing
for your peace. —Confessions by St. Augustine
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