The Beatitudes

It is still within the first week of the Lunar New Year. Therefore the Diocese celebrates Sunday in the Lunar New Year instead of the Fourth Ordinary Sunday. The readings are different and very appropriate for New Year mood. The gospel reading is chosen from Matthew 5, the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes are known as the Magna Carta of the Kingdom of Heaven. Of course, the 1215 Magna Carta imposes limitations on the powers of the British kings. The Beatitudes in the gospel are meant to be guidelines for the life of Christians. Many people have interpreted the Beatitudes in many different perspectives, including Pope Benedict XVI who wrote about them in his Jesus of Nazareth (2007), his personal search for the face of the Lord. Here, I would like to do a personal reflection on them.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3).
Who wants to be poor? Who wants to be insecure all the time? The very first beatitude goes against the basic human need of security. Unlike Luke, Matthew leaves us a safety valve. He advises us to be poor in spirit, not in materials. Therefore, we can be materially rich but remain spiritually poor. We can make good use of God's given talents to earn as much money as we wish, but we refuse to be possessed/obsessed by the money. We remain the master, not the slave, of money. This is the spirit of the gospel. We do not rely on materials but on the provision of God who is the centre of our life. Throughout his life, Jesus sets us wonderful examples of leading a spiritually poor life. He was born in a manger. He was a carpenter by trade. Yet, he did not hate the rich whom he befriended and gratefully accepted the financial support of rich ladies during his earthly ministry.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
Who wants to mourn? Who doesn't want to be happy? Once more, the beatitude goes against human nature. Ask yourself what can make you mourn. Failures? Illness? Imminent disasters? Loss of loved ones? We seldom see people, especially men, mourn because it is a sign of weakness and nobody wants to appear weak in a competitive society. As a teacher, I find it morbid to see students giggle in view of horrible tragedies. Our students, and even their parents are in need of cultivating a proper emotion. Our entertainment industry earns quick money in bombarding our senses with cheap comedies. In short, it is rare for us to mourn so much so that we don't know what and how to mourn. Therefore, I would say the consequences of the sins I commit are reasons to mourn. The consequences run out of my control. I cannot do anything to contain them. I need someone to clean up the mess and to comfort me that everything is going to be OK. God, I have messed up my life and You, only You alone can comfort me. Jesus too mourned but not for his sins for he is fully human except without sins. He mourned for our sins, for Jerusalem in which prophets were slain (Matthew 23:37, Luke 23:28).

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).
Who doesn't want to be the boss? Who doesn't want his will be done? Again, the beatitude goes against human nature. We want to impose our wishes on others. In particular, people suffering from inferiority complex boss around all the time to prove their worth. Modern society prize assertive people. If you are not the boss, at least, you want your boss to notice you. If you are meek, people will pay no attention to you and you will never advance anywhere. But Jesus says no. God's will be done, not ours. God is a free God. He respects our freedom and He wants us to follow His example to respect the autonomy of our brethren. There is no need to raise your voice. Your brother hears you. Jesus too was meek. He invited people to lead a life in the spirit of the gospel but he never forced people to obey him. Only once did he chase out the merchants in the Temple, the only record of Jesus' violence. Jesus felt sorry for the rich young man who failed to follow his invitation but he would not force him to become his disciple (Matthew 19:16-24).
Similarly, dear readers. You are invited to continue to share with me or you may leave this page for good. I respect your autonomy.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
Who is not selfish? Who doesn't want more? We even tease people who are contented for not being as ambitious as they should. Adam Smith even sang praises to self-interest for its contribution to economic prosperity. In making profits, we know that somewhere somehow some people have been exploited. This is the realm of social justice and is righteousness in a very narrow sense. But Jesus means something larger than justice in a society. He wants us to hunger and thirst for God's righteousness. Here, to be righteous means to be approved by God, blameless before Him. This is also Paul's teaching of justification. Who can be blameless before God? Nobody. Yet, nowadays, few people bother to be blameless before God, not to mention hunger and thirst for it. The danger is, when we don't care about being right and wrong before God, we will always forgive our faults and we will be right all the time and the others are always wrong. We become incurable and make no improvement, to mention the least. We must change this attitude and repent. God will reconcile us. Jesus forgave sinners and drove out demons. Lord, drive out this self-conceit demon in me. Amen.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7).
Who holds no grudges against anyone? Who has made no mistakes? Who has no compassion for the plights of the others? Who has never suffered? Therefore, be merciful to those who suffer and lend a helping hand. Be merciful to those who seek pardon and our sins will be forgiven. Jesus taught us to seek the forgiveness of God as we forgive others. Be merciful and forgive.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
Woe to us modern men. We are bombarded with pornography. Who can keep our hearts pure? Woe to us who are distracted by so many daily chores. Our minds are filled up with so many trivial things. Who can stay focused to see God? We need disciplined coaching. This is the meaning of discipleship. Prayer is the coach to help us focus to meet God. Pray not just in the morning and before going to bed. Pray not just before meals and work. Pray all the time. Pray to gain strength to purify our hearts.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9).
Who doesn't enjoy gossiping and have fun spreading rumours? Who doesn't want to gain advantages in confusion? Who doesn't want to stir up troubles for his own advancement? No. Jesus came to reconcile. His passion reconciled Herod and Pilate. Christians should be ambassadors of reconciliation. Mend fences and heal wounds. That is our mission. When the mission is accomplished, we are sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10).
Who is not afraid of persecution? Who doesn't avoid being bullied or teased? Who will stand up for righteousness? Once more, we answer to the call of security. We try to stay out of troubles and choose to hide in our comfort zone. No. As followers of Jesus, we forsake our comfort. We stand firm for righteousness and persecution will become inevitable. So will heaven. When we see righteousness prevail, the Kingdom of Heaven is here to stay. We cannot skip steps. There is no heaven without persecution. This is how our world is run.

Dear Lord, I am weak and feeble. I place my trust in You. Count me blessed. Amen.