Read: Matthew 5:1-12

Six months after COVID-19 completely changed the way we lived, we now know who the real heroes are.  

We have been getting along quite well without those star athletes and glittery entertainers who so often are the objects of our hero worship! The real heroes through this pandemic have been the essential workers – front line medical personnel, first responders, truckers, grocery store clerks and mail carriers. Some of these courageous heroes have been working double shifts to save lives; others ventured out to keep life going while many of us hunkered down under stay-at-home orders.

I wonder whether the COVID-19 crisis might have nudged us closer to the values and priorities of the kingdom of heaven? The familiar “Beatitudes” of Matthew 5:1-10 might be read as presenting a whole different set of kingdom heroes! Can you hear Jesus declaring, “It’s not the wealthy and proud, the safe and secure, the strong and mighty who are the heroes. I say, bravo to the poor in spirit, to the humble and those hungering for justice!”?  Can you hear the applause of heaven for the merciful, the peacemakers and the persecuted?

The sixth beatitude – or declaration of blessedness – announces, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  This seems essential: Only when our hearts have been purified by the Holy Spirit (cf. Psalm 51:10f) will we be able to identify, honor, and become these kingdom-of-heaven heroes among us.

Prayer: God, we continue to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” and we invite your Holy Spirit to cleanse and renew our hearts, so that we can see your kingdom coming, especially among people we often overlook. 
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Go Deep:

• Compare Luke’s (6:17-26) and Matthew’s versions of the Beatitudes. What are the most striking differences?
• Are “the poor” inevitably “poor in spirit”? Can a follower of Jesus be materially wealthy and still be poor in spirit, still hunger and thirst for justice?