The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted. Nowhere in this list are the rich and famous, the politically powerful, the business, owners, or the clergy. Jesus’ beatitudes are for all those who are not in these classes of people.
When you add to this the two commandments that Jesus gave us: love God and love each other, I can only assume that those people that use Jesus’ words to justify the eight blights on humanity listed above, are wrong. The rich and powerful are twisting His words to justify their greed, their dishonesty, and their hatred of those who are not like them.
Jesus was not a friendly guy; he came into the word as a poor carpenter’s son, and he travelled around the Middle East condemning those in leadership. He challenged every political and religious belief of his time, including accepting people who were not Jewish into his realm of God’s love. This included Roman soldiers, Samaritans, lepers, tax collectors, the people who were shunned by society because of their status in Israel.
Jesus was a loving person; he loved all who suffered, all who were lost, all who followed God’s loving words. His messages of love and comfort for the masses, the people who truly loved God and followed God’s commandments, can be and should be a comfort for us today. There are those in power today, whose only desire seems to be increasing their own status and denying others of rights and benefits that should be, must be, available for all people in the world.
If we live in God’s community of man, we cannot overlook the hunger and poverty of any man, woman, or child on any continent on Earth. Singly, we cannot change the world, but we can change our part of the world and let the ripple effect work its wonders. We were not born to live alone; we are here to serve one another. God loves us all; let us also love us all.
Meditating to Heal 