Jesus did not present us with the beatitudes, with which we are praying this week, to remind us of what saints were like in the past. He is not only saying “congratulations, o sebeditse hantle, félicitations” to them for being good and having made it to heaven. He is also giving us this teaching as a guide to live our lives today.
Of course, some of the beatitudes are circumstantial. Nobody plans to mourn or weep. Nobody sets out to hunger or thirst for justice. Nobody contrives to be persecuted for the sake of justice. Nobody wants to be reviled for being a disciple of Jesus. This is what life throws at us, and the way we endure the difficulty makes us more or less praiseworthy.
Other beatitudes relate more to virtues that we can
develop: being understanding and merciful, and not persecuting our brothers and sisters; being makers of peace, especially when we see other people succumb to tension and resort to violence; being gentle rather than imposing our will on others; purity in our hearts; and poverty in our spirit. We can nurture these and live them as habits and deliberate choices.
We should not view the list in the gospel as exclusive or all-embracing. In
our present context, maybe Jesus would addother virtues that reflect his Gospel values. As we get to know Jesus better, we can imagine what is close to his mind:
Blessed are you for driving cautiously when others are so reckless.
Blessed are you for caring about the wellbeing of the vulnerable and the outcast.
Blessed are you for encouraging those who are fatigued.
Blessed are you for your
solidarity with people who are suffering in these hard times.
Blessed are you for continuing to believe in multilateralism and synodality.
Blessed are you for not losing hope in humanity when politicians are so corrupt.
Blessed are you for caring for God’s creation.
What would Jesus regard as especially praiseworthy in our days? How can I embrace
Jesus’ way of life more deeply? Which of the official beatitudes do I find most challenging?
