In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus delivers His Sermon on the Mount. This sermon is not a State of the Union Address or a progress report on His ministry. It is a report of God’s promises and mercy. In each of the “blessed” categories, Jesus speaks about aspects of our lives: poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, righteousness, mercy, purity, peace, and misunderstanding. He does not, however, just stop at revealing how we feel or who we are. He goes further and tells us that for each hardship in our lives – there is a hope that will accompany it. In other words, in the midst of all our troubles and trials, Jesus promises to see us through. We are never alone! We have hope; a hope that will never leave us disappointed! In the words of Jesus:
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”