The Beatitudes

Thursday, September 17, 2009 -- Week of Proper 19, Year One
Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen and Mystic, 1179

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 984)
Psalms [70], 71 (morning) 74 (evening)
1 Kings 22:29-45
1 Corinthians 2:14 - 3:15
Matthew 5:1-10

Many people are outraged that courts have ruled, in the spirit of the non-establishment clause of the Constitution, that it is inappropriate for public spaces to display the Ten Commandments, since they are an expression from a particular religion. The rhetoric of affront can get downright apocalyptic.

Some pundits have suggested to insulted Christians that their advocacy of religious material in public spaces would be better represented by the Beatitudes. Matthew would agree.

In many ways, Matthew's gospel intentionally intends to create a new Torah. There are many parallels between the Jewish Torah and Matthew's outline of Jesus' life. In chapter five, Jesus goes up a mountain like Moses, and brings down a teaching much like Moses. For Matthew the Beatitudes are the foundation of the new law of Jesus.

Imagine a brass monument of the Beatitudes placed above a judge's bench or in front of a court house: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

The Beatitudes set a fascinating context for legal judgments and political priorities. What if our governmental and judicial structures were weighed in favor of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and so forth? What if being merciful, pure in heart, and engaging actively in peacemaking were the default policies of our leaders? How different might our nation and world be?

The contrast between Jesus' words and our structures wasn't lost on the satire of Monty Python's Sermon on the Mount scene from "Life of Brian." From the edge of the crowd an annoying woman quips, "He said, 'Blessed are the meek.' Oh that's nice, isn't it? That they're finally getting something; they have a 'ell of a time."

Lowell

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About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
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The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas