16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled.

18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.

— Exodus 19:16, 18

1-2 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

— Matthew 5:1-10

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Let’s consider Mount Sinai was. It wasn’t just a place. It was an experience— thunder, fire, a trembling earth, a mountain wrapped in smoke and fear and a God whose voice made people beg for silence. Mount Sinai was the mountain of law, of command, and of divine standard. It was where God said, “This is what holiness look like.” But centuries later another mountain would echo with a different sound, not thunder but a soft voice, not terror but comfort, not law but blessing. And there Jesus’s voice didn’t shake the ground but it shook the hearts of those who heard it.

Jesus didn’t stand far off wrapped in fire. He sat down among the people and said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” That was the mount of Beatitudes.” So now we find ourselves staring at two mountains: one wrapped in clouds of judgment, the other in the clarity of grace. But don’t be mistaken. These two messages though different in tone came from the same God. Sinai was not a mistake. Beatitudes weren’t a correction. They were two revelations of the same holy heart—justice and mercy, righteousness and compassion, law and love.