How do you help people who think they have a strong grip on God ? Th real God is always somewhat beyond them. From day one, humanity has always tried to shape the person of the divine in an image that human can control and bargain with when things get tough.
This Sunday we are presented with the people that are fortunate, blest and lucky to be alive today. If anyone thinks that a successful life is material security, esteem and control over the forces of life, they will be disappointed in the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus did not come to give us a set of rules to measure whether life is successful. He gives us the Beatitudes. (Mt. 5,1-12) When we hear each of the statements that begin with “blessed” we need to understand that word in terms of the original Hebrew word. It carries the sense “ lucky are you\;”’ you are fortunate. These are the successful ones in the eyes of God.
Follow the words of Jesus. He begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” He does not list the rich and the powerful as being fortunate. It is the little ones, the woman and men who know they need God and their fellow human being to get along. When you hear this teaching begin with the people at the edges of your society and then move into all of our nursing homes. The little ones are so very close. So often they need to help of God just to get through the day. But it is the recognition of their need and connection to God and to one another denotes them as the ‘lucky” ones. Society may not count them as important but at the bottom line (that is God’s line) they are the fortunate ones.
Work through the Beatitudes. This will upset many of the values that we think are important. What does it teach us about who actually counts with God. The Word became flesh to lift up all the little ones of this earth to himself.
As you read and study the Beatitudes what is this actually teaching you about God and what God values? What does God want of us human beings?
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