I’m with my family right now on the coast of Oregon (in the USA), gazing at the crashing waves on the beach, cuddled up inside a warm blanket and drinking a cup of hot coffee. It’s peaceful and relaxing. A time for renewal, refreshment and reconnecting with our family.
We are making memories with our family right now during our vacation….
I see a father and his daughter strolling along the waters edge on the beach, picking up seashells and gazing out at the vast, endless horizon. My daughter just baked warm cinnamon rolls and the heavenly scent is drifting out the patio door. I look forward to a day at the beach, swimming in the indoor pool, sitting in a hot tub, laughing together and maybe later in the day go out for a nice seafood dinner.
It’s been so long since we’ve actually been able to relax and enjoy ourselves. We haven’t had a vacation in three years, and this “mini-vacation” will only be four days, but I am ever so grateful for this precious time.
I looked forward to having a relaxing cup of coffee on the balcony of the hotel, listening to the wind and crashing waves, watching the sea gulls, and having deep thoughts about the scriptures for Mass this morning. For once it seemed, I actually had time to sit down and give them my proper attention. I thought that maybe great insights would come to me, as I curled up with my hot coffee and my laptop.
Imagine my surprise when I opened up the readings for Mass today and read the scriptures. They were about the Beatitudes. Rather than experience deep and comforting thoughts, I felt a twinge of guilt for the present moment of enjoyment that I was experiencing in my life, after reading Jesus’s words in sacred scripture:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
For the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
For you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
For you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
For you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
For you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, For their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
I felt guilty because I had a really nice seafood dinner last night. We ate hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I’m sitting in a seaside resort hotel. Not real fancy, but still, it is nice. So many other people in the world are not experiencing this luxury right now. Especially many of the readers on our website. I wish I could share this experience with those who live in poverty. I wish I could also share this experience with all of you too.
But, then I remembered my daughter’s friend who is homeless. We brought her friend with us on this little vacation especially for this reason. We were going anyway. The hotel, transportation, etc. was paid for anyway. What’s another mouth to feed at dinner? And, although my husband and I would have preferred to take our vacation alone, in the end we did not do so. We are sharing our room and our meals, and our walks on the beach, with her friend too. We had a campfire on the beach last night and made s’mores. We ate breakfast in our room, instead of going out and saved the money so we can all have a nice dinner tonight.
In a way, I think this might be what the Beatitudes are about though. We aren’t supposed to lead self-centered lives. We have the choice to hoard everything that is good in life for ourselves, or to think of other people sometimes too. To have compassion for people who do not have the same comforts in life that we do.
It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, but I think we can all find little ways to include those who are less fortunate than ourselves and share with them some of the blessings that God Himself has given to us. The good things we have been given are not entirely our own making though. God gave us our unique gifts, talents, and abilities so we can have a happy life, but we should not hoard these gifts for ourselves. We should use God’s blessings to help other people to have a good life too.
Today’s Readings for Mass:
1 Cor 7: 25-31; Ps 45: 11-12, 14-17; Lk 6: 20-26
