Throughout his life, Jesus sought to comfort all those whose hearts were broken and who found themselves in a place of mourning. Jesus spent most of his ministerial life healing those who were
afflicted.
In the Old Testament, the comfort of those who mourned nourished the hopes and expectations of Israel in exile. The freedom from exile, the
restoration of broken relationships, and the comfort of the hurting and afflicted were considered to be messianic blessings. Israel would be comforted and freed from mourning when released from exile.
The comforting of those who mourn should be the pattern of life of the disciple of Jesus.
The Gospel of Matthew sees Jesus and his friends as ones who healed “every kind” of sickness and disease (Mathew 4:23-25) and, by doing this, brought comfort. For Matthew, Jesus was the one who would reorder and bring healing to our broken world.
Daily, we have contact with people who mourn, whose hearts are broken by sickness, loss, and the tilted and painful structures of society and life. Many people suffer silently in a world of fierce competition that shuns vulnerability. God invites us to live this Beatitude by being there for
those who suffer, creating spaces and allowing those who need to mourn to mourn. We cannot fix all the brokenness in the lives of others and the world. However, we can create places and spaces for people to mourn. We can offer some comfort and the hope that God will bring healing and restoration.
Take a few moments today to become aware of what you are mourning for at this time in your life, where perhaps you need healing and restoration. Then, consider how you can create a place and space for someone you know is suffering at this time. Finally, can you offer, in silence, a place of
comfort?
