Blessed are..(Matthew 5)
....the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
....those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
....the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
....those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be
filled. (5:6)
....the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
....the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
....the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
....those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
As we head toward an election that may well seal
the fate of America
We have stark choices in front of us
We need a voters manual
to help us cut through all the lies, and
misinformation
to quiet all the radical ideology
and all the fear and hate
We have one
Otherwise known as the beatitudes!
I am thankful to Greg Cary professor of New
Testament and Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania for a wonderful
new perspective on these familiar sayings.
In a recent blog he wrote:
“These blessings begin with four groups of people
no one wants to join ….
Jesus' next four blessings apply to people who
live the values he proclaims: the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers,
and those who suffer persecution for the cause of justice. “
The Sacred is for those who are crushed by the
forces of hate and anger, those who no one wants to be…And the Sacred expects
those who carry the Presence to be those who actively resist the forces of hate
and anger.
The Sacred seeks politicians who are for those no
one cares about, and politicians who work for love, and people, and do not buy
into the behavior common to most politicians today, which is to do whatever benefits
them, helps their party, and nurtures power and greed.
Here are, I believe, the questions we need to ask
as we listen to all the politicians. We
must vote for those who follow the spirit of the Beatitudes. We must allow the priorities of the Sacred to
cut through the ideologies of this world.
VOTE FOR….
....the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
Luke is more direct. Blessed are the poor. Who is for the poor? Whose policies seek to help and support the
poor, the down trodden, the “least of these”, and whose policies, whose
ideology is for the rich, the powerful, the 1%?
....those who mourn: for they will be
comforted. (5:4)
Who hurts for the world? Who hurts for the ill? Who has compassion? And who is so full of fear, and hate, that
they cannot comfort?
....the meek: for they will inherit the
earth. (5:5)
Who sides with the oppressed? Who sides with immigrants, with women, and
children? And who sides with the power,
with corporations, and money, with those who would exploit the earth, and the
people who live in it?
....those who hunger and thirst for Justice
for they will be filled. (5:6)
Who thirsts for equality? Who thirsts for justice? Who wants to give everyone a voice? Who seeks the good of all? And who seeks to block access to healthcare? Who seeks to block access to voting? Who denies people things they need to
flourish?
....the merciful: for they will be
shown mercy. (5:7)
Whose proposed policies, legislation reflect
compassion, and whose do not?
Who talks about people with the voice of
compassion, and whose words reflect judgment?
How one talks about the poor, about minorities and
the disenfranchised is important.
....the pure in heart: for they will
see God. (5:8)
Although one wonders if there is such a thing as
an “honest politician”, who is the most truthful? This is difficult, because there are few
sources of truth. Most news is
biased. And there is the added problem
that we believe what we want to believe.
We listen to the voices whose words resonate with the state of our
souls. If we are fearful we believe
those who feed fear. If we lack
compassion, we close our hearts and listen to the words of those who would just
and demean. But who is the most
truthful, the most authentic?
....the peacemakers: for they will be
called children of God. (5:9)
Who are the haters? Who stirs up fear? Who divides and tries to create anger? Who seeks to draw people together? (We need
some people who are will to collaborate, to work together, to listen, to find
common solutions to critical problems)
....those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
This one is not about the conservative Christians
who cry “persecution” at the slightest pretense. This is about people who are willing to hold
fast to what is right, even if it doesn’t help them gain support with “their
base”. This is about the politician who
is willing to tell the truth, at the cost of support.
Who is the legislator who votes for, who supports
legislation that is good for all the people, even if it does not help his or
her party win the next election.
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