Fame, power, and success are values ordinarily pursued in our society. While these things can be attractive, today Scripture describes for us God's special concern for the poor, the weak, and the persecuted - a love that is extra-ordinary.

The Church at Corinth included several members living in conditions of financial insecurity, low social status, and even slavery. These people may not have experienced much success, power, or fame, yet the Lord chose and blessed them.

At some point in our lives, we each taste the bitterness of illness, separation, a lack of resources, or death. The suffering is undeniable. However, such hardships can sometimes help us to experience what it means to be poor in spirit. We realize we are not in control, but rather, dependent on God - the source of our life. When this happens, we are open to becoming rich in God's blessings. We are invited to trust the promise of the beatitudes that God's extraordinary love will finally prevail.

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters." The beatitudes are not only a pledge, but also an encouragement to be instruments of this love. Can I gently listen to another's sorrow? Am I able to move towards reconciling with someone who has hurt me? Will I stand with the persecuted? Such love may seem nonsensical to the world, yet it is the love God gives us in Christ.