A Portrait of Jesus

January 29, 2023: A Reflection for the 4th Sunday in O.T., Yr A

The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12a

Over the centuries and down to the present day, people have drawn their own renditions of what the face of Jesus was like. Not having cameras in Jesus’ time leaves us with the artists’ brush and paint to depict how their inner eye sees Jesus’ visage.

Today’s gospel gives us Jesus’ own picture of himself. Not the description of his eye color and whether his hair was curly or straight, but he gave us a masterpiece of who the Son of God made human is.

We call them the Beatitudes and maybe another name could also be ‘The Human Blueprint.” Jesus bares his inner life and the spiritual DNA of every human being who has ever existed and who will exist. The portrait of Jesus given us in the Beatitudes is our portrait, too, if we will but open our hearts to the life-giving work of the Spirit whose great joy is to bring about this transformation of each and every person into the likeness of Jesus.

So what do the Beatitudes tell us of Jesus and how does it apply to us?

The kingdom of heaven is ours when we can be ‘poor’, let go of holding tenaciously onto our own kingdoms, and become rich in the kingdom Jesus incarnates: love, peace, laying down our lives in service to one another in joy.

We will be comforted in our willingness to let go of sin and the sorrow that it brings to our lives and the lives of others.

Blessed are the meek who have the inner power and strength to give each person the right to be who they are without judgement and condemnation. They will inherit the land of respect and truth.

Righteousness will be the food and drink of those who hunger for it. The righteousness of the kingdom of heaven.

If we are merciful to others, mercy will be ours, pressed down, overflowing into our being.

Those whose heart is focused on the all-present God will see the face of God everywhere.

Peacemakers will be the meeting place of our loving God and our brothers and sisters caught up in strife.

Those persecuted for holding to God and trusting in him, the righteous, are already living in the kingdom here and receive their reward at the end of their days.

That is the portrait Jesus paints of himself and bequeaths to each of us. Our Human Blueprint of how the vast inner world of God living within each of us can be lived out along our earthly journey.

Blessed are we to hold such treasure and such a call!