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.
(Mt 5:1-12)

Today we begin the continuous reading of the public ministry of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel. The Sermon on the Mount invites us to live the values of the Kingdom now.  In fact, that’s the secret of the saints—they heard the gospel being addressed not to others, but to them.