It is fitting that we are prepared for this weekend’s Gospel presentation of the beatitudes by a passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, in which he warns us that there is a significant difference between God’s standards and the world’s. Christians are to live and justify their lives by a wisdom the world considers absurd. The beatitudes are a case in point. They reflect in capsule form much of the spirit of Jesus. In fact, we might even look upon them as a type of Christian commandment. As such, they may be fully intelligible only to a Christian mentality.
To comprehend how the poor, the sorrowing, the meek, and the persecuted can be considered “blessed” actually requires a substantial shift in perspective. It is certainly not a perspective promoted by our social conditioning! The values of the American Dream, for example, are very much at odds with beatitude thinking. It is the wealthy who are thought blessed; it is those with power and influence who are judged fortunate. In our society, the poor are considered a drain on the economy and an all-around embarrassment. The meek, the marginalized, and the down-and-out are generally viewed as people who easily get stepped on or left out. Those who show mercy are often categorized as weak-minded; those pure in heart are written off as naive. If we mourn, we are advised to seek therapy; if we are insulted, slandered, or persecuted, we are encouraged to file a lawsuit.
We do ourselves a disfavor, however, if we don’t evaluate the beatitudes at a deeper level. There is enormous wisdom and power for effective living tied up in this litany of Christian attributes. When we are “poor in spirit,” we are more open to the movement of grace in our lives. When we are “meek,” we are more inclined than the arrogant to see both sides of an argument and the redeeming value of compromise in conflict. When we “mourn,” we better appreciate and enjoy happiness than if we never suffered loss. When we “hunger and thirst for justice,” we are more likely to be motivated to pursue opportunities to advance the just treatment of all people. When we are “pure of heart,” God’s loving actions on our behalf are more clearly in evidence all around us. When we show “mercy” rather than take vengeance, we reveal a gracious and forgiving heart. When we stand up for what we believe, for “righteousness,” despite pressure from other people, we demonstrate strength of character!
As we can see, the beatitudes actually force us to stop thinking and to stop counting. They force us to start listening -- listening to what we are most afraid we will hear, namely, that everything we consider important about ourselves is not really very important at all! Worse, not much will begin to stir until we actually see that point with two clear eyes, one functional brain and one empty soul. Until then, we can only try to do what the alcoholics and the overweight and the drug takers do at every meeting when they say, “I came to believe I was powerless.”
Just saying it often enough becomes a way to stop the lying. Start seeing, do not do anything. Just see, and see some more, and say there is another power that is mine if I give away every power I call my own! Then we truly discover that the beatitudes are not eight or nine in number; there is only one! We all know what that one says. When we are ready to follow its awesome voice, we will have responded to the most important sermon ever preached!