The Measures of Sanctity

Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12

If one were to ask the average Christian in the pew what the requirements are for becoming a saint, we would hear talk of being holy, without explaining what that means.  We would hear about keeping the commandments, and performing two miracles after you die.  In short, we don't really have a good grasp of what it means to be a saint or to be holy.  Fortunately, each year we have this feast and this Gospel reading which reminds us of what it means to be a saint.

The Church gives us for this feast the Beatitudes, not the commandments, as the criteria for holiness in our lives.  The commandments are a minimum standard for basic ethical living.  The Beatitudes are what make us holy.  To be poor in spirit, empathetic, meek, hungering for justice, merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers, and patient in persecution - these are the criteria and measurements of sanctity.  These are the traits that embodied Jesus' life on earth.  

Today is a day for us to reflect on these eight virtues and how we might embody those in our daily living.  How can I be more detached from  things of the world? How can I be more empathetic and merciful toward others? How can I work for justice and peace in the world? How might I be more clean of heart and more patient in persecution?  These are not the values of the world.  They are not even the values of modern Christianity.  But they are the values of Jesus, the mark of the saints, and our aspiration today.