Feast of All Saints – Sister Nancy Wellmeier, SNDdeN

Feast of All Saints – Sister Nancy Wellmeier, SNDdeN

November 1, 2021

Matthew 5: 1-12a

The Beatitudes, these nine descriptions of those who will be blessed by God, go entirely against the religious thought of the Jewish faithful of Jesus’ time, where trouble was seen as punishment for sin. For Jesus, trouble is a sign of blessing. Matthew depicts Jesus as the new law-giver, speaking from a hill-top, in a flashback to Moses on Mt. Sinai receiving the commandments. These words are so familiar they have worn grooves in our consciousness and we hardly hear them anymore. One way around this is to find the Biblical text in another language to see if a new light can be shed on old words. Here is what my Spanish New Testament revealed:

English: the poor in spirit – Spanish: those who recognize their spiritual need
English: the sorrowful – Spanish: those who are grieving
English: the lowly – Spanish: those with a patient and humble heart
English: those who hunger and thirst for holiness – Spanish: those who hunger and thirst to do God’s will
English: those who show mercy  – Spanish: those who show compassion for others
English: the single-hearted – Spanish: those whose heart is focused on God
English: the peacemakers – Spanish: those who work for peace
English: those persecuted for holiness – Spanish: those persecuted for doing God’s will
The last Beatitude is directed straight at the audience: Blessed are YOU when you are insulted, mistreated and lied about when you follow me—be happy, your reward awaits. This seems especially relevant in our divided society today.

Try this with your phone translator and you may gain some new insight. Most importantly, not only are we called “blessed” but called to BE a blessing.

Matthew 5: 1-12a

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.”
The Gospel of the Lord

Meet Sister Nancy Wellmeier, SNDdeN

Sister Nancy Wellmeier met the Sisters of Notre Dame when she was a student at Julienne High School in Dayton, Ohio, USA. Her first years in ministry were dedicated to teaching Spanish; this was followed by 25 years in youth and parish ministry in Mexico and Arizona. After completing a doctorate in cultural anthropology, she was appointed by the US Bishops’ Conference Department of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees to coordinate the Church’s outreach to the Mayan refugees from Guatemala in the US. Elected as a General Counselor for the Sisters of Notre Dame in 2002, she enjoyed six years of meeting and working with the Sisters in all the countries where SNDs minister. At present she is preparing a history of the SND mission –1859 to 1875—in Guatemala, Central America. Sister Nancy volunteers at a refugee welcome center and teaches English and citizenship.