Blessed are the Meek
To All,
In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Matthew 5:1-12a), we hear Jesus begin what is usually referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. And the beginning of this sermon is known as the Beatitudes, for Jesus lists all those who are blessed in various ways. Over the past few years, I have been drawn to a few of these because of what is going on in our country and in the world.
There is still hate and fear of those considered “other.” It seems to me that this hate and fear are used to justify the use of violence, as it has been throughout history. We’ve just had a day marking the Holocaust. We can point to many other instances where violence has been used and even attempts at genocide have been made. People have justified hate against immigrants, documented or undocumented, Muslims, LGBTQ’s, and the list goes on and on.
And yet, Jesus speaks for something other than hate or fear or indifference. Jesus speaks, not only with words, but in deeds, about love and mercy and sacrifice:
“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” – In the years since I returned to Birmingham, I have presided and attended many more funerals than I had in years past. In the parishes which I serve, we have lost many of our elders and pillars of our community. Jesus promises that those who are grieving will be comforted. In Him we know that death does not have the final word. Resurrection, love, peace and joy have the last word for us.
To me, this beatitude also calls us out of apathy. Blessed are they who refuse to be numb to the sufferings of others, even those halfway across the world. Blessed are those who mourn with others over injustice and the degradation of the environment. Blessed are they who still choose to learn empathy and show compassion.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” – For me, being meek does not mean being weak. For me, to be meek means to refuse to do harm to another person or group of persons.
I see it in the spirit of the prophecy we heard on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth…” (Isaiah 42:3-4). Jesus was not afraid to speak truth to power. Jesus was not weak when He died for us on the Cross instead of calling an army of angels to defend Him. We can stand up for what is right and still refrain from violence.
Even in the case of self-defense, there is no reason to rejoice over the death of others, no matter how much we think “they deserved what they got.”
To reflect on this beatitude helps me understand some of the others in a different way. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness does not equate with hungering and thirsting for vengeance. It is more aligned with working for justice. We cannot receive mercy when we refuse mercy to others. We cannot be peacemakers when we hold hate in our hearts.
Jesus calls us out of following worldly wisdom and into following Him (See our second reading – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
Blessed are we when we choose to love as He did.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
