Listen

“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

“Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

“Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 5:7–10

Think

For me, Sunday has always been a great opportunity to encounter God in community. The week can feel overwhelming: classes, work, decisions, relationships, messages, and questions about the future. Sometimes we reach the end of the week with our minds so cluttered that we need a space to breathe life into our souls and hearts. But Jesus doesn’t describe a community that simply rests together. In the Beatitudes, he speaks of compassionate people, those with pure hearts, who work for peace and remain steadfast in doing what is right.

Gathering together can help us remember who we want to be when we return to school, college, work, our families, or our groups of friends. Singing, listening, praying, and talking together recharges us, but it also sends us out into the world. Perhaps following Jesus this week might look like this: showing compassion, tending to our hearts, building peace, and doing what’s right even when it’s hard.

You are not journeying alone. You are part of a community called to be like Jesus.

Raquel López Oliver

Question to Ponder:

How can you bring mercy or peace to one of your spaces this week?

Pray

God, thank you for the people with whom I share this journey. Help me to receive your love within the community and to bring compassion, peace, and justice to the places where I will be this week. Amen.

Go

Now go back to your day. Look closely. Listen intently. Show your love through your actions. Follow Jesus in your daily life, remembering that you are not alone and that your life, too, can help someone else find their way.