Consoling others on behalf of God.
It is 12 June 2017. The readings are from 2 Cor. 1:1-7; and the Gospel from Matthew 5:1-12. The first reading from the epistle of St. Paul teaches us that more the suffering we go through for the love of Christ, higher the possibility of experience the joy that comes from God. To be a leader or an animator, one must not hesitate to suffer that teaches the lessons of life. As the sufferings increase in our lives, so the consolations from God too. Without suffering, there is no way we can experience the salvation that is marked for us. Since we have abundant consolations from God, now it is our turn to go out consoling people who are going through a certain amount of suffering in their lives. No one can experience the consolation of God in the air. We are the tangible witnesses for having experienced the protection and consolation of God and therefore we need to offer to the others what we have experienced. The presence of God must be felt among the people through us because we are the first recipients of God’s love and consolation. The responsorial Psalm praises, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Ps.33:9). The Gospel presents us with the formula and the way for being blessed. It is indeed a strong and visible encouragement from the Words of the Lord for having been good, poor, gentle, comforting, merciful, pure, tolerant, and being a peacemaker. The attitudes towards God and to the poor to be cultivated and consistently followed in our lives to experience the joy and blessings of Christ. When the power of evil chocks us and strangles us constantly, these attitudes towards God and the least of the brethren help us to be resilient in justice, mercy, and endurance in persecution. The sermon of Jesus is also a prayer that blesses us for what we are and we need to be in our lives. It is the pinpointed blueprint for living for Christ. Let us make our lives shine with the Beatitudes of our Lord daily. May you have a good day.