Beatitude texts for week two:
02. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
03. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Sun, Feb 28: BLESSED
The scholars Malina & Rohrbaugh suggest that the blessedness of Beatitudes also refers to honor. It means to ‘bring honor’ or to be ‘filled with honor’.
What then is the blessing for those who are sorrowful, or as some translators more broadly explain, live in misery or protest at the wrongs and hurts experienced by other humans in their communities? And what does meek mean, anyway? Who identifies as meek? What gift is offered to them by Christ?
Again, Christ’s statements seem to honor those who find themselves in this doleful emotional or psychological state. And recognizes those who are humble and gentle, yet will stand against what is wrong in the world. Rather than isolating them, ignoring them, criticizing them or trying to ‘fix’ them, Christ sees such people. In his life, he kept company with them. Reached out to them. Sat with them. Listened to them. Attended to their needs. Only then did Christ choose to teach and preach. He cared first for their physical and spiritual wellbeing.
In our times, Christ doesn’t necessarily change the causes of people’s suffering. Yet his recognition offers a response. Through engagement with those who mourn and grieve, who are sad and miserable, he honors their state of being. He draws them into the perception of God, beneath the gaze of heaven, and into the sight of other people. — Rev Gail
When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. — Willie Nelson
You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings. — Elizabeth Gilbert
Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken. — Albert Camus
Like a thin place, a blessing can help us perceive how heaven infuses earth, inextricable from daily life, even when that life is marked by pain. — Jan Richardson
Concentrate on counting your blessings and you’ll have little time to count anything else. — Woodrow Kroll
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it. — Thomas Paine
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. — W.T. Purkiser
Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering. ― Steve Maraboli
A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal. ― Steve Maraboli
God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you? ― William Arthur Ward
Challenge or Question: Identify a blessing within your life. One aspect of your life for which you are grateful. Give thanks for it. Say a prayer, write it in a journal, or light a candle to acknowledge this blessing.