Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. - Matthew 5:12

“The way of the Lord does not often correspond to the way of the world because the world often value the big and the powerful while the Lord treasures the small and the weak, who do not count on their own strength but place their trust in God. “

The gospel that we heard is about the Beatitudes wherein God reassures us his providence even at our worst being. Hardships and challenges are inevitable in our lives. Some people say, these make us strong and mold us to become better individuals. But have we ever asked ourselves why these also cause people to have breakdowns?

Upon reflecting on the gospel reading, I realized that the beatitudes does not call us to be weak, instead it encourages us to acknowledge our own weaknesses and vulnerabilities. It helps us understand that it's okay to be imperfect, that it is also okay to seek other’s help because you can’t do it alone, and that its okay to be not fine, once in a while, because these imperfections lead us to God. We should keep in mind that He always be there fill in the gaps, to mend what is broken, and to carry us when we feel like can’t go through anymore.

This brings me to my very own experience of God reassuring me that things will be alright. Some time in the past, I was very disappointed with myself because I didn’t meet my own expectations. I was talking to myself as if I was talking to someone who did nothing right all her life. But a friend of mine knocks on my door and turns things around, she didn’t say that what I did was okay and right but she said to me that it is ‘normal' to have mistakes. She also reminded me that I don’t have to do it alone that she is there to help.

In that very moment, I learned that we should be open to being helped by others just as we are open to helping them because we are all imperfect, and the presence of each one in our lives will help mend our brokenness. This is also present in our relationship with God, we need to open ourselves to Him, trusting him to provide for us when we feel like we have nothing. Faith in the Lord entails trusting Him wholeheartedly, treating him like our very own Father. We should let Him be the one that binds us as one community sharing and strengthening our faith in Him.

- Rona De Castro