When
Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his
disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and
taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
--Matthew
5:1-3 NRSV
All Saints Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. Some churches
preach on the saints (churches that are Catholic, Episcopal and some other
Protestant churches), but other churches combine it with All Soul’s Day, a day
to remember all those who have died. I tend to do the latter, because in “low
church” congregations like the ones I serve we don’t usually elevate some Christians above
others. I believe it’s a great time to recognize all the “lower case” saints
who have influenced our faith journeys.
It’s also a good time to reflect upon the Gospel
reading for this Sunday, Matthew 5:1-12, often called the Beatitudes. Since I
won’t be preaching on them Sunday, I’ll write about them this week.
Why are they called the Beatitudes? The Latin
translation of these verses from the Greek each began with the Latin word “beati”
meaning “happy” or “blessed.’ (The original Greek word “makario” meant
basically the same thing.) Over time,
first in Latin and later in English, the term “beatitude” came to mean a state
of being happy or blessed. Some confusion comes up in modern English,
because the only word we usually hear based on the root “beati” is “beatify’ or
“beatification” which is a step on the road to sainthood in the Catholic
church, so those of us who aren’t Catholic don’t naturally connect “beatitude”
and ‘blessed”.
Another problem for English speaking Christians is the
confusion with our modern use of the word ‘attitude” meaning (according to
Google) “a settled way of thinking
or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a
person's behavior”. Confusing “beatitude”
with “attitude” risks interpreting these verses as ‘attitudes’ Jesus wants us
to have. In other words, Jesus says to us “Be poor in spirit, mourning,
persecuted, etc.” in order to receive God’s blessings. Indeed, many books have been written with just that interpretation. At best this is only part of what these verses
mean, at worst this way of understanding the Beatitudes entirely misses Jesus’
point.
I believe the best way to interpret these verses is
not as an instruction manual from Jesus, but as declarations from Jesus about
how the world really works, all appearances to the contrary. A group of clergy
called SALT Project does a nice job of describing this way of understandingthe Beatitudes:
Jesus paints an utterly counterintuitive
picture of blessedness: looking around the world, then and now, and it’s easy
to conclude that the “blessed” are the rich, happy, strong, satisfied,
ruthless, deceptive, aggressive, safe, and well-liked — and yet here’s Jesus,
saying that despite appearances, the truly “blessed” are actually the poor,
mourning, gentle, hungry, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaking, persecuted, and
reviled.
When we usually make use of the word ‘blessed” we mean
it in material terms, as in I am blessed to have the basic necessities of life
(or maybe I’m blessed because I own a bunch of stuff and have a big bank
account). Perhaps, we may use the word “blessed’ to describe less tangible
things such as the blessings of family, friends and the like. Yet, I believe
Jesus is using the term “blessed’ to literally mean divine favor and not about
something we possess or earn. Read this way, the Beatitudes become words of
consolation and encouragement for those who need it most.
Even if the world does not value you like it does
celebrities, the one percent, the rich and the powerful, God values you, cares
for you, loves you and knows you.
Especially if your circumstances make you wonder if
God cares for you at all or if God even exists, know God loves you, cares for
you, loves you and knows you.
Jesus’ words about who is blessed comes at the front
of his Sermon on the Mount. Before he gets around to the instruction list, Jesus
has already declared who is blessed. So, we need not waste time and energy on trying
to earn or keep God’s blessing. God’s blessing of the poor in spirit, the
mourner, the gentle, the hungry and thirsty, merciful, pure in heart, and
persecuted already exists! It is the way God’s reality works, a preset
condition and we do not have the power to lose this divine favor if we are
among those on this list!
The minister and author Nadia Bolz-Weber describes it this way:
Maybe the sermon on the mount
is all about Jesus’ seemingly lavish blessing of the world around him
especially that which society doesn’t seem to have much time for, people in
pain, people who work for peace instead of profit, people who exercise mercy
instead of vengeance. So maybe Jesus is actually just blessing people,
especially the people who never seem to receive blessings otherwise. I mean,
come on, doesn’t that just sound like something Jesus would do? Extravagantly
throwing around blessings as though they grew on trees?”
Bolz-Weber and other authors have taken their turns of
writing their own Beatitudes declaring who is blessed by God, especially people
our society doesn’t value, so I thought I’d write a few of my own during this
time of pandemic.
Blessed are the quarantined for they shall
experience the presence of God.
Blessed are the lonely for they shall have a Divine friend.
Blessed are the caregivers for they shall be cared for.
Blessed are the anxious for they shall know peace.
Blessed are the overworked for they shall find rest.
Blessed are the unemployed for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who protest, organize and vote to provide care for the
uninsured, the underpaid and the cash strapped for great shall be their reward.
Whom would you write a Beatitude for in this anxious
and turbulent time?
Grace and Peace,
Chase
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