Turn to the Beatitudes 

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This writer shows the value of using the beatitudes in today’s world, navigating challenging issues and assessing our own spiritual development. 

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Christianity is in the news on a regular basis these days. Where I live, in Texas, there is increasing pressure to legislate teaching the Bible in public schools. Elsewhere we hear more about book banning. Our president once marketed a version of the Bible from which he made money. Not long into his presidency, he publicly attacked a minister who urged him to deal with such issues as immigration from a position of compassion. 

I find myself wondering what Jesus would think of the modern version of the religion and teachings named after him. I wonder if he would even recognize it. In my own distress over the current state of Christianity, I return to the core of Jesus’ teachings—the beatitudes—to see what light they would offer me. 

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he outlines the essence of a Christian lifestyle. It is more than a guide for how to treat others; it is a reference point for all of us in assessing ourselves as Christians. As with many things Jesus said, it can also be twisted to serve one’s own purpose. 

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Clearly, Jesus looked with compassion on the poor as well as the marginalized and called us to do the same. In these divisive times and as we search for solutions to difficult issues such as immigration, it is important to note that Jesus called us all to reach out with compassion to those whom society might judge. He was on the side of AIDS patients when they were being judged. He is also on the side of the oppressed immigrant seeking safety for his or her family. 

Jesus is calling us to also address our attachments. Fortune. Fame. Power. Unhealthy attachments such as drugs, alcohol, self-centered sex. Jesus calls us to free ourselves from such attachments. 

It’s apparent to me that many Christians today exhibit considerable attachments to wealth and power, attachments that are at odds with being poor in spirit. 

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Jesus, being human, mourned. When confronted with the death of his friend Lazarus, Jesus wept. At times, we are faced with dying to some part of ourselves. Perhaps we are faced with limitations through failure. Perhaps our health is challenged. Perhaps we are addicted. You might think it odd, but in many recovery programs, the recovering addict has to grieve the “death” of the addict. Often we must grieve before moving on to a new chapter in our lives. 

Jesus also suggests here that the loss I mourn will not be magically undone. In times of loss, none of us can fix the loss. What we can offer to one another is presence and comfort. We cannot minimize loss with thoughts about God’s will. What we can do is listen. 

When my mother died unexpectedly some years ago, I do not recall what different people said to me at her funeral. But I remember who was there. I remember the comfort I found, not in what they said, but simply in their presence. 

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Meek is a troublesome word since it is often associated with weakness. In fact, the closest synonym for meek is humble. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the opposite of meek is egotistical or arrogant.  

To be humble is not to be groveling. It involves having a balanced view of oneself, being able to admit to our character defects while at the same time embracing our gifts. It also includes a capacity to admit when we are wrong and to be willing to make amends. Such qualities are sadly missing in many who aspire to lead us. 

Meek does not mean being passive. What meekness does involve is a well-tuned, humble awareness of what we do and do not have control over. For the meek, the Serenity Prayer is central to their spiritual journey. Read the text of the prayer here: bit.ly/the-serenity-prayer. 

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Righteous is a word that would indeed be invoked these days to justify stances that, upon further examination, seem decidedly unchristian. According to Merriam-Webster, righteous means to act in accord with divine or moral law. 

The ultimate reference point for our righteousness is the teachings of Jesus. Remember that Jesus challenged the legalism of the Judaism of his day, instead advocating a morality that was based on compassion and forgiveness. This is the kind of righteousness to which we are called. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. To be merciful is to be kind and forgiving. We are not called to be passive or to minimize wrongdoing. But this beatitude, along with the call to righteousness, asks us to perhaps hate the sin but to love the sinner. 

Jesus, for example, never excused the behavior of the adulterous woman about to be stoned. But he did not judge her and encouraged her to change her ways. Note also that Jesus did not attach an “except for” (e.g., except for homosexuals, Muslims, etc.). Mercy knows no limits. We are called to be merciful to all, even to those with whom we do not agree. 

Being merciful also includes being forgiving. Harboring resentments would be the polar opposite of being forgiving. Forgiving, however, does not mean condoning. It does not involve making excuses for someone. It simply means that I do not let the poison of resentment eat away at my soul. 

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Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. The Catholicism of my youth unfortunately associated purity as having to do with sex. Purity of heart goes far beyond vigilance against lust. Jesus made it very clear that he was about more than changing one’s behavior; he  advocated a change in one’s heart. 

This is not only a matter of emotions. Purity of heart has to do with motive and intention. If I am pure of heart, I don’t say one thing and do another. When my heart is pure, then my sense of God in my life is clearer. Remembering that Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of God is within us, when my heart is pure and my intent is to live a righteous, God-centered life, then I am seeing God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Time and again, Jesus challenged the use of violence to resolve issues. The call to be a peacemaker clearly involves embracing nonviolence but goes beyond that. To be a peacemaker does not mean to be passive. It does mean seeking solutions, finding a path that all can agree on. A peacemaker objects to any war as a solution and the use of violence to advance a political agenda. 

This beatitude also calls us to foster inner peace. If I aspire to inner peace, I address resentments. I strive not to judge. I strive to quiet that inner chatter that can often be either fearful or aggressive. As a peacemaker, I embrace as my daily guide the psalm that states: “Be still and know that I am God.” 

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Sadly, there are at least a few prominent Christians who claim they are being persecuted. Whether you agree with that or not, this beatitude does not speak to the issue of fair trials. It speaks to the issue not only of justice as fairness but justice as moral. 

Thus, a current example of persecution for the sake of justice is the attempt of the state of Texas to shut down a program in El Paso. Annunciation House has been a program of welcome for immigrants, legal or otherwise, for over 40 years. They are currently facing accusations ranging from harboring terrorists to being a stash house. Annunciation House has been a beacon of social justice. Because of persecution, it may be forced to close its doors. 

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. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. The closing paragraph offers clarification on the issue of persecution. Jesus is comforting those who are persecuted in his name. The beatitude then refers to those who act and challenge others based on Jesus’ teachings. People such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Maximillian Kolbe suffered death because they stood up to Nazism. I think of Dorothy Day or Daniel Berrigan, persons who were imprisoned because they spoke out in the name of peace against a warring government. These and others were persecuted because they spoke out in Jesus’ name. 

Jesus links the persecuted to the prophets of old. These men spoke out and challenged the leaders of their day for not living in accord with God. Among many things, prophets spoke out against the worship of false gods, and for that they were persecuted. The prophets of today also speak out against the false gods of profit and control. 

To live by the beatitudes is not to be silent. In this day, we see that those who speak out not from positions of judgment but from positions of compassion are nonetheless persecuted. Recent examples include the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, who made direct pleas to President Trump during her sermon at the inauguration prayer service, calling on him to have compassion and mercy toward the fearful and vulnerable. The late Pope Francis himself was attacked in part because of his compassion toward persons such as divorced Catholics who have been marginalized by the Church. 

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The beatitudes present us with guidance on being a true Christian. They can help us discern those of our leaders who are actually leading Christian lives rather than claiming to as part of advancing their political agendas. 

But the beatitudes are most important in helping me assess my own progress as a Christian. The beatitudes can indeed be the lamp unto my feet if I embrace them. 

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