Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. (Matt. 5:1)

This introduction to the Beatitudes is easy to overlook yet reveals a crucial element of discipleship. Prior to this, we find Jesus at the foot of the mountain surrounded by large crowds who have heard of his fame, “and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them (Matt. 4:24). At first glance, I am tempted to mark this as the pinnacle of success! The disciples are surely relishing this fruitful season in ministry, yet this is the moment Jesus walks away.

In this movement, it is the few who dare to follow when the excitement subsides and the climb grows increasingly difficult that discover the essence of both eternal happiness and fruitful discipleship. With the first Beatitude, Jesus strips away everything we think we need to be fulfilled:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).

From there, each beatitude takes us from merely seeking his hand to seeking his face as they “depict the countenance of Jesus Christ” (CCC, 1717).

This challenges me to stay alert to the movements of the Holy Spirit in every season, to set my “mind on things that are above” (Col. 3:2), and pray for the grace to respond to every invitation to leave the stimulation of the crowds and climb to the solitude of the mountaintop to be with him in my poverty. It is here that my poverty is transformed into his abundance and this overflow of graces fuels my descent back into the valley where the crowds—literal or figurative—await.

. . .

Truth from Scripture:

Thus says the Lord:
Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house which you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things are mine,
says the Lord.
But this is the man to whom I will look,
he that is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
Isaiah 66:1-2

. . .

Wisdom from the Saints:

“Consider often that it is only the humble of heart who can enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

// St. Margaret Mary Alacoque