4th Sunday OT, A January 29, 2023
Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
They are true, you know. These beatitudes, these promises of blessedness are not rhetorical… Jesus isn’t just trying to make a point. What he says is true. There is real blessedness, real joy to be found in each one of these examples. And no, it’s not just a future happiness that he’s talking about. The reasons he gives are in the future tense – will inherit, will be comforted – but the description of blessedness is right now – blessed are they. That means joy in this life, not just the next.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The truth is that we can’t count on our possessions to take care of us or make us happy. Everything we own doesn’t really belong to us and all of it will fail eventually. Being poor in spirit means seeing that truth and refraining from resting your heart on the things you think you own. In the kingdom of heaven, everyone is totally reliant on God and absolutely certain that He provides all they truly need and more. What’s more is that they are right. They do have all they need. To be poor in spirit means we see that truth ahead of time, even if imperfectly, and that knowledge, that hope and conviction offers a peace no amount of money in the world can offer. So we call the poor in spirit blessed.
“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” How is mourning a joyful and blessed thing? Because it is a sign of authentic love. When we mourn, it is because we have lost something good. Those who mourn see two truths at once: that there is good in this world and that this broken world interferes with that goodness. The more clearly we see these truths, the more authentic our mourning. We should mourn in the face of evil. This allows our hearts to truly grab onto just how badly we need salvation. That is the source of the blessed joy, because we do know that salvation is coming. What is good will be redeemed and what is bad will be overcome. Mourning is like a negative proof of the greatest reason to be full of joy: our God loves and saves us. So we can experience joy of mind and soul through hope even while our heart is in pain and sorrow.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” Few things are as pathetic as someone who thinks they’re in control when they’re not. Meekness is the opposite. It is a self-control founded on the firm knowledge that no enemy is as strong as our God. It is not the inability to fight, but the choice not to because it is better to suffer evil than to cause it. It is the certainty that evil destroys itself and that victory comes through patiently remaining close to God, refusing to sin. There is a real serenity, a joy in the conviction that your enemy’s defeat doesn’t depend on your strength and is only a matter of time.
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Like those who mourn, part of the blessedness here is the ability to see that righteousness actually does exist. Because it exists, you can long for it, even work towards it. Because it comes from God, we by hope find that serene confidence in its inevitable arrival.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Being merciful is not the same thing as not caring about morality. Mere indifference or non-judginess is not mercy. To be merciful requires us to see sin for what it is, but to choose to forgive, to choose not to hold a grudge. The merciful are those willing to convict others of their sin, but without resentment and with the opportunity to be reconciled. Such an attitude is divine. The joy and blessedness here is to see that resentment is misery and mercy is it’s cure.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.” All of creation is held in existence by God’s continuous act of love. His goodness and beauty shines through his creation, but to see it requires a mind in right order, a spirit willing to see beneath the surface, and freedom from the compulsion to consume and use everything we see. Just as everything else needs to be quiet in order to hear the nuances of a symphony, so the heart must be clean from perversity, lust, and selfishness if it is to see the beauty of God. And to experience beauty is to experience joy. The words are almost synonymous.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” To make peace is not just to settle arguments, it is to work for justice – right order – in all relationships. A peacemaker rightly recognizes what takes priority in any relationship with another person: their dignity as being made in the image of God. With family, friends, coworkers, or in a brief interaction, they strive to see and honor that dignity. Above all, they see that what every person needs most is to be reconciled to God and so they strive to bring that peace about. Being constantly aware of the potential glory of each person and of the real possibility of seeing that glory perfected in heaven brings a sense of purpose and of hope that nothing else can offer, and so is a source of joy even when the prospect of peace is difficult.
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Like those who mourn and the poor in spirit, the joy of this beatitude is the serenity that comes from knowing where victory is found. In each of us, the greatest obstacle to righteousness is our own wayward heart, our tendency to pollute everything with selfishness and pride. Sometimes we even pretend that suffering caused by our own stubbornness is persecution. When we truly suffer for righteousness, however, we rejoice in the knowledge that in that moment, at least, our selfishness is being overcome. That is a joy that coexists with and lasts beyond any merely earthly suffering.
“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.” The specific joy here is that righteousness is not just an idea, but a person. “Because of me,” Jesus Christ, your intimate friend, creator, and Lord. Blessed are you even in suffering and poverty. Why? Because you not only see the truth, you are seen by him, loved by him, redeemed by his freely chosen death on the cross. Blessed indeed are we when anything makes that more apparent to us because, in the end, it’s the only joy worthy to be called joy at all.