Blessed Are Those Who Struggle
By Deacon Greg
Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12; Psalm 15
In fact, when you review this list of
Beatitudes they seem to describe how this world really “isn’t”.
·
Do the meek, in this day and age of ruthless
capitalism, inherit anything?
·
Are the peacemakers celebrated anywhere, except
maybe with a Nobel Prize?
·
Where is mercy when our news media thrives on
blame?
If these ramblings aren’t puzzling enough,
exactly who are these “poor in spirit”? For years, I stumbled around wondering
about the “poor in spirit”.
·
If you don’t have money, does that make you
lacking in spirit?
·
If you don’t pray enough does your spirit run
out?
·
If you pray too much does that make you rich in
spirit?
As a numbers kind of guy, and as a former
Roman Catholic who was supposed to be counting up one’s sins, I was stuck in
this idea of finding a numerical solution to this “spirit” question.
I finally found the answer in a book I read
recently, “The Beatitudes through the Ages” [Eklund & Allison Jr.].
Have you ever in your life struggled with
your faith?
·
Have there been times when you have doubts about
God’s interest in your life?
·
Can you think of times that you found it easy to
be untroubled about faith and that God was sitting right next to you,
·
and other times it seemed that God was a distant
concept?
I know I have, and I’m guessing many of you
have struggled the same way.
If you’ve struggled with your faith, then I
have Good News for you today: You are the poor in spirit! Yours is the Kingdom
of Heaven!
“How can this be, Deacon?” you might say, or
“What the heck are you talking about, Deacon?”, yet I tell you, “Yours is the
kingdom of heaven!”
The “poor in spirit” are people who
regularly struggle with their faith. We are people with questions on our mind,
and as soon as we find the answer to one question, we find even more questions
to think about! Yet it is this struggle within each of us that God finds
endearing.
·
We haven’t settled on a doctrine, and then
memorize words until they are rote!
·
We aren’t recording machines that play back
whatever is recorded from someone else!
We are humans who are seeking God, and seeking the Truth, and we leave our minds open not because we are failing as Christians, but because our hearts, minds, and spirits are yearning for God, searching for the Truth, on a daily basis.
In essence, we are poor in spirit, but rich
in perseverance. Isn’t that what our parish life has been like recently here at
St. Paul’s?
God dearly loves all of us who struggle
because we have not given up on seeking the path to the Kingdom. Blessed are
all of us, for the kingdom of heaven is ours!
In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, he isn’t
telling us what heaven is like, (although it IS what heaven is like), but
instead he’s inviting his followers to a new way of living in this
world that will bring God’s Kingdom into this broken existence.
·
Blessed are the poor in spirit—We should
struggle in our faith!
·
Blessed are those who mourn—We should give
comfort to those who are mourning!
·
Blessed are the meek—We should live without
arrogance or disdain for others.
·
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, and those who are merciful—We should be working in this world to
bring mercy and justice for all of those outcast!
·
Blessed are the pure in heart—We should be
striving in our prayer and worship life to open ourselves to faith, hope, and
love, and not greed, power, and hate.
·
Blessed are the peacemakers—We should strive to
bring peace to the world, and support those who work for peace.
·
Blessed are those who are persecuted and reviled
for following the path of Jesus—We should take heart in knowing we are God’s
beloved when people hate us for loving everyone.
You are God’s beloved when people hate you
on the basis of who you love, or the color of your skin, or the gender of your
true self.
The Beatitudes are more than just a promise
of what will happen “some day”. The Beatitudes are a guidebook for living our
spirit-filled life in this world, and the God’s Dream of how this world is
meant to be.
The prophet Micah, in this morning’s
reading, tells us about the Dream of God:
“He has told
you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does
the Lord require of you
but to do
justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk
humbly with your God.”
Blessed is this parish that perseveres in
following Jesus in the way of love.
Blessed are each one of us who keep
struggling along the path of faith.
“Rejoice and be glad, for our reward is
great in heaven…”
Amen.
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