The Beatitudes, the theme of this week’s Gospel, can be a daunting and exacting description of what it would look like if we were to follow God’s call closely. At least, that is how I viewed them for a long time—an unattainable list of things I needed to do to be loved by God.
However, through God’s patient teaching, I am slowly
coming to understand that this is not the case at all. The very first word, “blessed”, is the translation of the Greek word makarios. This word can mean "happy," "fortunate," or "a privileged recipient of divine favour".
The Beatitudes are a goldmine, filled with nuggets. To begin to mine the richness, I have chosen to share with you this week the New International Version (NIV) and The Message (MSG)
translations of these texts. A bit cumbersome perhaps, but they opened up for me a new vista of God’s love and Kingdom.
The words “poor in spirit” did not conjure up for me the metaphor of being “at the end of your rope”. But what a beautiful image describing how we often feel in our busy and frenetic world, overwhelmed by the to-do lists and demands on our time and energy. I’ve never thought of this as a fortunate place to be,
because I am always so focused on using the last of my resources to get myself out of the mess, burnout, or stressful situation.
How wonderful it is that God sees those moments of vulnerability as opportunities to “be” present to us and use us to build God’s Kingdom.
The paradox here is that even when we think we can’t, God can. Humility is the beginning of our walk
with God—knowing we need God for everything.
Are you in one way or another at the end of your rope?
How do you feel about allowing God into that space and responding to his love?
Talk to God about this today.
