BEATITUDES AND CHRISTIAN IDENTITY The scripture passage on Beatitudes is quite familiar to us as we hear it read at funerals and several times during the liturgical year. This counter cultural message of Christ invites us not to place our trust in material and feeting things, not to seek happiness by following smoke vendors and high-octane spiritual gurus who peddle quick fxes. We should not follow them because they are unable to give us hope. May the Lord help us open our eyes to acquire a more penetrating view of reality, to heal the chronic shortsightedness with which the worldly spirit infects us. With His paradoxical Word Christ stirs us and enables us to recognize what truly enriches us, satisfes us, gives us joy and dignity; in other words, what truly gives meaning and fullness to our lives. Beatitudes are a prescription for daily living for ordinary people. Have you ever forgiven someone and followed it up with the assurances: ‘Do not worry about it’ ‘Let’s move on’. That is one example of “blest are they who show mercy.” You enjoyed a special peace after that encounter. Have you ever realized that you were helpless in a certain situation and had only God to rely on! … “that is blest are the poor in spirit.” Have you ever been in a situation where the wrong thing looked extremely attractive? And the right thing looked extremely diffcult and asked God to help you do the right thing because you really wanted to do it but not sure you could? “That is blest are they who hunger and thirst for holiness.” Have you ever been extremely sad and upset over a loss of some kind, worked your way through it, and later realized that it helped you grow and become a better person…. “That is blest are the sorrowing.” Again, you might still be hurting at the loss of a loved one and dealing with the void at his/her passing on. You realize now mourning, is a bitter road, but it can be useful to open our eyes to the life and sacred and irreplaceable value of a person. “Blessed are the meek”. Jesus says of Himself: “Learn from Me for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Mt 11:29). This is His spiritual portrait, and it reveals the abundance of His love. Meekness is the attitude of those who have nothing to lose, because their only wealth is God. The term "meek" used here means literally sweet, gentle, free of violence. Meekness manifests itself in moments of confict, from how one reacts to a hostile situation. In Scripture the word "meek" also indicates the one who has no land ownership; and so, it strikes us that this Beatitude says precisely that the meek will inherit the earth/land. That land is a promise and a gift to the people of God and becomes a sign of something much greater than a simple territory. There is a "land" – allow the play of words – that is Heaven, that is, the land towards which we walk: the new heavens and the new land to which we go (Revelation 21:1). Today’s gospel is an invitation to ask ourselves to what extent do we qualify to be called blessed by Jesus. Are we a person whom Jesus would give the name merciful…are we a person to whom Jesus gives the name peacemaker? Are we a person to whom Jesus would give the name poor in spirit? Do we ever stop to think about what it means to be a Christian? The Beatitudes are in some sense the Christian’s identity card. They identify us as followers of Jesus.
Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O.