Christ presents the path for the truly blessed in the gospel. He identifies the two radically contradictory ways, blessedness and woe. The conditions for blessedness are higher and elevate the natural human experiences - poverty, hunger, and grief, even persecution. No one wants to be poor. No one wants to be hungry. No one wants to grieve. And we don’t want to be persecuted. Yet, Jesus sets these conditions for blessedness because they attract eternal rewards. Jesus helps us to identify the best Christian practices as believers.
Let’s be real here! Why would Jesus recommend poverty, hunger, grief, and persecution as measures for blessedness? Does Jesus overlook our basic human instincts and desires? Personally, it is a struggle for me from the human perspective. Human nature is pre-programmed for happiness as an innate desire. Naturally, we seek a fun-filled life. We seek what is pleasurable. However, in seeking happiness, the soul necessarily searches for the best way to satisfy the hunger for God. Bishop Barron references what St. Thomas Aquinas called the four substitutes for happiness: wealth, pleasure, power, and honor.
Concerning Christ’s teaching on blessedness, Bishop Barron identified the disordered human desire for happiness called concupiscence. Concupiscence distorts authentic happiness and gives rise to addiction. Think about it this way, the man who robs the bank is searching for happiness. He thinks that money will make him happy if he acquires more. Yet finds out that the money he gets from robbing the bank is never enough. He robs again and again until he gets caught and perhaps ends up in prison. A person with an eating disorder is looking for happiness, so she eats and eats until it becomes a problem injuring her physical and mental health. The power-hungry politician or executive thinks that by getting to the top, she would control everyone. She crushes others to achieve her intention. Yet, at the top, she feels lonely and unfulfilled. The alcohol addict feels that the next high will bring happiness. He goes on drinking until he gets drunk. Overall, the brain drives us to do things that tend to satisfy our cravings for pleasure in the desire for happiness. Money, food, alcohol, sex, etc. These are not bad in themselves. They are meant to be used for our good. It is only when we make them into idols that they get in the way to eternal happiness. Jesus gives us an alternative roadmap. Tough call indeed!
How do we interpret Jesus’ message?
Blessed are the poor in spirit: This is an invitation to detachment. It is a demand for the proper order of material possession whereby money is at the service of others. Wealth should be used to do great things for the kingdom of heaven while on earth. Through seeing the good use of money, we serve those in need. We provide support to communities and build up human dignity.
Blessed are those who mourn: If we become attached to pleasurable feelings all the time, life can turn into a movie of lasting sensations and emotions. For instance, I enjoy watching soccer matches just like some of us are fans of the Ravens or the Orioles here in the US. But to substitute watching soccer or American football with going to a Sunday Mass can become harmful. Tailgating for a football game that leads to missing a Sunday Mass is a sin. This can apply to denying ourselves certain pleasures because they do not always produce pleasurable feelings. Our true comfort comes from the love of God.
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth: Being detached from power builds a bridge to a deeper spiritual life. For instance, the meek husband is loved by the wife and the children more than a selfish husband. The meek man creates a happy home. He enjoys the companionship of the partner, the fun of parenting, and the hopes of family connection. The meek office staff enjoys the favor of the boss. The meek student enjoys the favor of the teacher. The meek experience favors here on earth.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness: This last beatitude in Luke's gospel warns against the addiction of honor. Naturally, we tend towards creating impressions. We need others to think well of us and to validate us. This beatitude reminds us that the spiritual life does not often call for validation. Not everyone will like our righteousness, but seeing our good works, all glory should go to God (cf. Matt. 5:16).
Blessedness invites us to focus on interior life and to contemplate the beauty of eternity. Pope Benedict XVI writes, “Consequently, the more we imitate Jesus and remain united with him the more we enter into the mystery of his divine holiness. In truth, the truly blessed par excellence is only Jesus. He is, in fact, the true poor in spirit, the one afflicted, the meek one, the one hungering and thirsting for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker. He is the one persecuted for the sake of justice.”
One great way to approach Jesus’ teaching on the beatitudes is through St. John’s words, “We are God’s children now, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2). Loving Jesus is a life commitment here on earth. Allowing Jesus to lead and direct our words, thoughts, and actions is the key to blessedness. When we give sacrificially to the poor, we share in their sufferings. When we defend justice, we advocate for the weak. When we forgive, we become agents of divine mercy. When we suffer, we unite with the sufferings of Christ. In our prayers, we see things in the eyes of Christ. We enter the interior life that contemplates Christ’s beauty and the joys of eternity.
This week let’s strive to discover areas of our lives where we need to let God's love permeate. What shifts do we need to make in the spiritual life? How would God drive our desires and passions? Blessedness in this life is not necessarily about being perfect. It is mostly an invitation to openness to God’s will in a way that each step gets us closer to the Kingdom. Let us pray for the spirit to live like Christ.
Readings: 1st- Jer. 17:5-8; 2nd- 1 Cor. 15:12, 16-20; Gospel- Lk. 6:17, 20-26
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