1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. 2 He taught them, saying:
Happy people
3 “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
7 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
8 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
9 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.
10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. 12 Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.
Reflection
Jesus tells of the ways to be blessed.
This week I have chosen to look at the Beatitudes. There are many commentaries about them
so feel free to google them and listen to some thoughts from others such as Richard Rohr. It is
also good to look at different translations of these verses. You can also find them in Luke 6, but as one commentary put it, Luke is definitely more hard line in his interpretation whereas
Matthew has a kinder, gentler take on them. One of the things that I have always thought about the Sermon on the Mount is how overwhelming and difficult all of these states of being Jesus listed feel when we think of them altogether. It feels like these are things we should actually strive for in our lives so that we will be richly rewarded, but on the other hand, these are things we experience in our daily lives and that Jesus experienced in his life as well. The rewards are not “out there” to be had just when we die, but they are things that we can experience as we go through our lives here on earth every single day.
Beatitude means blessing, so we should strive to live in a state of blessing or as some
translations put it – happiness. One commentator stated that Jesus is the beatitude of God, and as always, Jesus sets the example for us. In one of his talks Richard Rohr spoke about how these teachings continue to emphasize that the oppressed will be blessed, and the oppressors will come to low places – as Jesus states many times in his teaching. The paragraph title in the
Common English Bible is “happy people.” We don’t think of people being happy when they
mourn or when they are persecuted, but we know as people of God that we can find blessing in every circumstance, and we can feel God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit with us in these
circumstances.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
Thoughts: Today read the Beatitudes in other translations and think about when you have felt
like you were in the states listed and what God did for you.
Prayer: God of blessing, guide us through this week as we think about what you have done for
us and given us and how you have blessed us and given us happiness when we least expected it. Amen.
