Gospel Reflection on Matthew 5:1-12a
- Fr. Tim Boyle
- Jan 30
- 3 min read
February 1, 2026
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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One of the many changes that have taken place in the United States recently is to change the Pentagon from the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Sadly, the same change has taken place in many religious circles. More and more often we meet people full of aggression who are seeking to put things right at all costs. They are not makers of peace but of war.
Often we do it in the name of God, and religious violence can become the most aggressive of all the passions. Or equally sadly, we turn our backs in the world and make the spiritual life into some kind of striving after perfection or spiritual narcissists.
And our communities become made up of driven grim people.
Sadly, we've lost the joy in our lives because we've lost the path. We're no longer in touch with our own poverty. We've forgotten our real motive for mourning. We fight the wrong battles. We have hunger and thirst for stupid things. We're slaves of the mediocre. We forget that we need mercy in our life because often our hearts are confused and we end up fighting battles instead of striving for peace.
We want to end up being people who live to be applauded to have success. We've been taught over the years to think of Christianity as a message to achieve moral coherence.
But actually, it's a search for personal happiness.
The saint is not someone who's sad, but someone who's found the beautiful kernel of life. And true happiness is to experience the mercy of God.
For only when we know mercy, our vision becomes clear and our hearts made beautiful. For only when we know mercy, we can begin to see God because this is the name of God: mercy.
This is how human hearts are transformed: by accepting our real poverty, our weakness, by thirsting for what is right. And then we begin to have a heart that's no longer deceived. And true happiness begins to take root because our heart is in touch with the center of existence.
Finally, then, what we begin to see and sense the presence of God.
This is the real beatitude, the real blessing: to see God and all the things that happen to us, even in our trials. For one truth remains: that all the successes and celebrations of this world have their days counted. Everything will one day be washed away in the face of all that really matters
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