On this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the reoccurring adjectives in our first reading are “blessed” and its opposite: “cursed.” (cf. Jeremiah 17:5-8) The Bible teaches us that, ultimately, all blessings come from God. He alone can bless because to...
Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the fruit of your womb. Elizabeth said this to her young engaged but yet to be married cousin, Mary. She said it to a thirteen, fourteen-year-old girl, pregnant out of wedlock and with her fiancé Joseph not...
The answer to this question may seem obvious, but it isn’t. “Blessed” has a number of meanings, depending in part on its pronunciation. And this has led to confusion about what Jesus was really saying in the Beatitudes. When used as a form of the...
