Blessed are you who weep now ...

And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and
revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.


This passage is perhaps one of the most majestic in all of holy writ. In the context of powerful exorcisms and healings the Son of God speaks to the qualities that make for genuine spiritual life. It is as if he is telling them that external healings pale in compare to the transformation of the inner man. The message is that those who persevere in faith will see a day that is filled with satisfaction, laughter and joy. It is such a hopeful message.

Yet this message is against everything that our flesh hopes for. The message of heaven is antithetical to the one that we see in the media and all around us. Not one of us craves the blessings of poverty, hunger, weeping and rejection - even if we accept the message in a spiritual sense. Yet the words of Christ ring true in our hearts. Faith has never been about living for the happiness of today but about living in hope for the joy of tomorrow.

Lord, help me to embrace hope today.

1 comment:

  1. Missed some days. Been down but not OUT!!! LOVED this one because that truly is our hope and goal and, most important, destiny!!!!

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