By Sister Makrina Finlay, OSB, January 28, 2026
Sister Makrina breaks open the Beattitudes today. “Jesus shows that the Beatitudes are not naive promises, but a path, and He does it through His life.”
Read this Sunday’s Gospel reading below the video.
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.”
Sr. Dr. Makrina is a Benedictine nun in St. Scholastika’s Abbey, in Dinklage, Germany. She was born and raised in California. After her doctoral studies in Oxford, she entered Dinklage in 2005 where she is responsible for church asylum and is master of studies. She works closely with international human rights’ lawyers and groups that advocate for Yazidis and is involved with work on the ground in Iraq that explore tangible and intangible culture there. She is responsible for educational programs for the Cardinal von Galen Foundation, a foundation which looks at the intersection between religion and politics.
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