Reflection for Monday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Word
By
Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore
Mathew 5 : 3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Today's Reflection
This morning we begin to read from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.
We will be reading from this letter for the next several weeks.
It is a powerful letter and is well worth reflecting upon.
In today’s first reading, Paul declares that in the midst of suffering and sorrows the God of consolation is always present to us.
God consoles us in our sorrows, so that we can be a consoling presence to others in their sorrows.
We all go through our own suffering and sorrow at different times in our lives.
If we allow God to touch our lives in those moments with his consoling and strengthening presence, then we will be empowered to support others as they go through their own valley of darkness.
Paul knew great hardship and suffering, but he experienced the Lord’s strengthening and consoling presence in the midst of it all.
That is why he could be such a source of encouragement to his churches when they were struggling.
In today’s gospel reading, which is well-known to us as the Beatitudes, Jesus says,
‘Happy those who mourn; they shall be comforted’.
It seems strange to declare those who mourn ‘happy’ or ‘blessed’.
Yet, Jesus is saying they are happy because in their sadness and pain they can experience God’s comforting and consoling presence in a much fuller way that if all was well.
The darker experiences of life can open us up to God’s loving and sustaining presence and enable us to bring the Lord’s comforting presence to others in their times of sorrow and distress.
Let's know that, God blesses those who trust in Him in spite of hardships of life so that they can be witness of His consolation.
Let's resolve in turn to become God's instrument of consoling presence to others in their hardships and struggles.
GOD BLESS YOU 🙏Have a consoling day.