THE POWER OF WEAKNESS: THE BEATITUDINES
Brothers and sisters,
May the Lord give you his peace!
In this world, it often seems that only strength, power, authority, and wealth hold any promise for the future. It appears that the weak, the sick, the poor, those left on the margins of society, devoid of hope or assistance, are reduced to servitude, becoming little more than a nuisance on the screens of the world’s powerful and wealthy. Yet, the truth runs much deeper; it lies hidden within the power of God’s love and goodness, which manifest precisely in such people. For He is not the God of the rich and the powerful, of politicians, bankers, or media moguls; they have no need for God. Rather, He is the God of the poor, those whom the Holy Scriptures call the "anavim". Widows, orphans, the displaced, refugees, the hungry, the thirsty, the barefoot, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, these are God’s people; they are the Lord’s chosen ones.
Christ came to save the world and gave His life for all; yet, He is embraced only by the "little ones", those who have no other recourse in this world, for the world neither needs nor desires them. These are the victims of wars, epidemics, and global crises,crises orchestrated by powerful figures whose very names remain unknown to us. But these powerful ones fail to grasp the immense strength found in love and sacrifice, in prayer and surrender, the profound power contained within tears and the invocation of the Lord’s Name.
The problem arises when those called to bear witness either do not know how, are unable, or are unwilling to offer that testimony, or when they find themselves incapable of passing on their faith in Christ to others. When we become enamored with this world, we may wish to live under the impression that a compromise with it is possible. Yet, this is simply not feasible, for the world seeks no compromise; it rejects the God of the poor and the simple, it rejects Christ...
The choice before us is not to hate the world or to call for the destruction of our enemies; rather, it is to follow Christ in humility and to do everything in our power to help those we can, so that, through our love and persistent labor, all people may witness our devotion to the Lord. Our sacrifices, our prayers, and our families become a visible sign, like burning coals heaped upon the heads of those who refuse to see or hear the Word of God, and they become a stumbling block to the powerful of this world.
Ultimately, the Beatitudes are far more than mere promises; they are the foundational manifesto of God’s love, which no power in this world, nor any other, can ever erase. The Beatitudes serve as the cornerstone of a new, divine world, in which no one is lost and no one is left without hope for eternity. They are the path of Christ, the path of Truth, the path of Life. Let us not falter on this journey; let us not be swayed by the confusion or weaknesses of our neighbors or our shepherds. On the contrary, let us be all the more steadfast in prayer and in our surrender to the Lord.
