Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Kings 17:1-6
Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The LORD then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the LORD had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 121:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (see 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
Indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Alleluia Matthew 5:12a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
June 8, 2026// Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word// Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:1–12
Reflect on the Word //
When the call came in, I could hear the tension and fear in his voice. My older brother and his wife had just received the news: their baby, number ten, due in some months, had Down Syndrome. He asked, “Would you please pray for us?”
Naturally, they were initially awash in questions. What would this diagnosis mean for their child, for their family? Who would care for her after my brother and sister-in-law were gone? My sister-in-law took the news especially hard. But that season of fear and anxiety didn’t last long. Once little Maggie Rose arrived, all that fear was transformed into so much joy, I thought my sister-in-law’s heart would burst.
Her many siblings can hardly stop kissing “the Rosebud.” You cannot mention her name without my brother breaking into a beaming smile. My sister-in-law can hardly stand to be separated from her for even an hour. Maggie Rose has taken hold of the heart of the entire house, and her big, blue-eyed, pink-cheeked smile is like a little shock of Heaven bursting over the earth. Every time I see her, I think, that little baby is living beatitude, a little bit of heavenly blessing right here, right now.
How often the Lord works exactly that way, surprising us with burdens that turn out to be blessings. Oh, but we must learn to look with God’s eyes, His eternal vision, His vision that sees everything in its completion, its fullness. Jesus says our reward will be great in Heaven (Matthew 5:12), but that doesn’t mean He won’t give us a taste of heavenly joy right now. Maggie Rose is proof of that.
The paradoxical tension we feel in the beatitudes is not meant to frustrate us, but to orient us, to keep our eyes fixed on Heaven and eternity. When our burdens don’t feel like blessings, let’s ask the Lord to give us heavenly vision, to see as He sees, and to love as He loves.
Relate to the Lord // When have your burdens turned into blessings? Reflect on God’s goodness to you.
Liz Kelly is a jazz singer who met Jesus in late-night adoration. She is the author of more than a dozen award-winning books, includingAnchored by Hope, Meditations to Calm the Anxious Soul, Jesus Approaches, Love Like a Saint, and A Place Called Golgotha. Her take home retreat forJesus Approaches has been called "a spa for the soul." She holds advanced degrees in creative writing and Catholic studies. She is trained as a spiritual director, leading retreats and speaking around the world with a particular focus on helping women to flourish in their faith. Visit her website at LizK.org. Her popular column, Your Heart, His Home is available on Substack.
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