Here’s what you might call a modern “beatitude”: “Blessed are the meek, for the shall inherit the earth – if that’s ok with everyone else”.
Here’s another: ”Blessed are you when you have little stumbles, for they prevent big falls”.
When Jesus presents the classic beatitudes to us in our gospel today, I wonder what reaction we have to them? For sure, they don’t fit our modern understanding of how the world works today – not many meek, gentle, merciful, pure-hearted peacemakers seem to make it to the top of their profession, or attain to the halls of power and wealth. I also wonder what the disciples of Jesus made of it, when they heard it? They were a diverse group of fishermen, tax collectors and what we would call today “terrorists”. I imagine them as a tough, rough no-nonsense group of men who did not suffer fools gladly, who understood their world, who knew what it took to survive and thrive in their world. I can see them shaking their heads at Jesus’ words and saying amongst themselves, “This guy has no idea at all. No one can live like that and get very far in life.”
But in fact, we know that they did not react like that at all.
They sat spell-bound as Jesus , their teacher, spoke about God’s vision of the kingdom of heaven, and what He looks for in those who would enter that kingdom. And Jesus is telling them that they had a fair shot of getting into heaven, that God’s kingdom was not at all about front seats for the rich and the powerful and the privileged, with the rest nowhere, especially the poor, the broken, the disabled and despised. That may have been the assumptions that their leaders, the scribes and Pharisees and chief priests operated from. But not God, and not Jesus. In fact, very much the opposite is true.
So you and I, brothers and sisters, have to take another look at the beatitudes of Jesus in the gospel today, to see what it takes for us to get into heaven, since Jesus is standing on its head worldly standards of success in this life. Take that first beautitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Not just being poor counts, but being poor in spirit. That means being detached enough from our wealth and possessions that, even if we were to lose them all, it would not rob us of our inner peace, because we do not depend on them for true happiness. Our true richness lies in the things of God, the things of his kingdom. Our hearts are set on those things. As Jesus will go on to say in Matthew 6:25ff: ”Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … indeed, your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. But strive first for the things of God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. How do you react to those words, brothers and sisters? If you find yourself squirming and cringing a bit, well, so do I. But that only goes to show that we are not yet made perfectly poor in spirit, that our definition of happiness includes to a certain extent having a healthy bank account, and plenty of possessions, that we are not yet ready to trust God that much to provide for us no matter what. One saint put it once: “We are to use things and love people, not use people and love things.” (Also ”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Jesus” words, you notice, not mine, not Ghandi’s or Buddha’s, or the Dalai Lama’s. Where is your treasure, brothers and sisters, where is mine?) By the way, if you ever wonder if you should be doing more in this area, try giving some of your money away to charity, especially to the really poor and needy, to show that you are free of dependence on wealth for happiness.
By the way, this beatitude is also linked to another one mentioned by Jesus: ”Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” While this undoubtedly includes sexual purity, and therefore excludes watching pornography and steamy movies on television or in the cinema, purity of heart goes much deeper and further than that. It means being not distracted from focusing on God and his priorities, it means seeking what pleases God more than what brings us comfort, it means having a clear vision for our lives that means putting God first in our lives.
What about the next beatitude in Jesus’ list: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”. What is so great about mourning? Mourning is not the same as weeping We weep when someone dies whom we love. But to mourn, here, means to be grieved over the ruinous state of the world, where sin causes so much harm and suffering, it goes with the beatitude further on, where Jesus says: ”Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” If we are truly grieved by the wrong things we see going on in the world, the social injustices, the lax morality, the selfishness and greed, and if we also notice the same tendencies within ourselves, and are distressed by them, such that we pour out our grief in tears and repentance to God, then we are mourning and hungering and thirsting for righteousness, in the way Jesus intends it in his beatitudes. Many of us, I know, myself included, mourn, and are grieved, by the fact that members of our families and friends have turned away from their childhood faith and immersed themselves in the world’s values and priorities. If that is you, turn that worry into prayer and fasting.
“Blessed are the meek , for they will inherit the earth”.
That’s a real good one, isn’t it, brothers and sisters? Enough to make us laugh and shake our head and say to the Lord “Jesus, you must be joking. Nobody gets anywhere by being meek.” Being meek, however, as Jesus intends it, does not mean being a pushover, a door mat for everyone to wipe their feet on. Yes, it means turning the other cheek when attacked, as Jesus urges us to do somewhere in the gospels. But that includes not responding with violent retaliation when someone maligns or slanders you, not swearing or giving the finger to someone who cuts you off in traffic, bring ready to forgive when someone who has offended you apologizes, and not continuing to hold a grudge against them. And contrary to much of what goes on our modern world, being “meek” also means not rushing to condemn and vilify someone who “offends” you by disagreeing with you over some of your values. And yes, this beatitude is linked to a couple of others mentioned by Jesus, namely: ”Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”
And finally, what about this one: ”Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” and, yes, this is linked very clearly to what comes next: ”Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account”. When Matthew wrote those words down in his gospel, Christians were being overtly persecuted in his world, to the point of arrest, torture and death. But it also applies to our world today. Christians are being captured, tortured and killed in increasing numbers today, according to latest statistics – think of Nigeria, for instance, where a priest was recently burned to death in his home and another priest shot, and another kidnapped and held for ransom. Think of China where not just Christians, but people of faith are being arrested and jailed for their beliefs. But even in our so-called free and tolerant Western world more covert forms of intimidation and persecution are going on. It seems the only form of faith that is not tolerated in our society is the Christian one – and why do you think that is, brothers and sisters, who is behind that? Remember that St Paul says in Ephesians 6: 10ff: ”Our battle is not really against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. Paul directs us to the real enemy, the devil and all his works, and teaches us how to engage in spiritual warfare against such an enemy – not by spewing abuse and threats at the wokist activitists, atheists, liberals, humanists and the like, not by being intimidated into silence and acquiescence either, but by going after the real sources of evil in the world, by fasting and praying, doing good works, reaching out the hand of forgiveness, and so on. Listen to these words from the Letter to the Hebrews, written about 80 A.D.: ”Beloved, remember those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting” (Hebrews 10: 32-36).
I hope by now, brothers and sisters, that we can see that these beatitudes of Jesus in our gospel, are not the wildly unrealistic, fantastical ravings of someone who does not have both feet in the real world. Instead they are the blueprint for a lifestyle that is markedly different from what is recommended in our world today, but which is all-important if we are to achieve our heart’s desire, which is life in the kingdom of heaven. God says in the book of Isaiah: ”My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55: 8-9).
If we are to succeed to life in the kingdom of heaven, it is no good expecting God to descend and accept the values and priorities of this current world of ours. We have to raise our minds and hearts to the level of His values and priorities and make those values and priorities our own. That is what it means, in the words of our first reading today, to “seek righteousness, seek humility…to seek refuge in the name of the Lord, so we can pasture and lie down, and no one shall make us afraid.”