In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ great sermon is given on the plain, a level place that demonstrates his oneness with us. Luke places the Beatitudes in the context of an “eye to eye, heart to heart” talk in which Jesus promises to walk with his followers on this great mission journey.
The mission of a prophet is two-fold. First and foremost, the prophet speaks only the word of God to the people of the faith community. The prophet makes God’s word made known for the present speaking of the importance of living that word here and now. Secondly, the prophet makes known the needs of the people to God, bringing their petitions before their heavenly Father. Prophets are men and women of integrity who practice what they preach.
It is not always easy for us to allow Jesus to look at us eye to eye and to speak heart to heart, but Jesus, with his great unconditional love, continues to do so. Jesus calls his disciples not based on their merits, but based on the possibilities their sharing of their gifts will bring people close to Him and one another. Called by Jesus, all things are possible as we go forth in his name in various ministries and vocations. We bring the gifts of comfort, generosity and forgiveness. We share the gifts of teaching and praying together. We become a gift of Jesus to all we meet when we imitate and live his unconditional love. Blessed are we in so many ways that we now become a people of blessing for our world. We are those beautiful trees that bear good fruit in the name of and for the glory of the Lord. When we look into each other’s eyes and speak to each other’s hearts, let us reflect the face of God. Let us see the face of God in each other. Truly blessed are we.