Does Jesus want us to be unhappy? Does He want us to be poor or hungry? Is it His desire for us to be hated?
Is that the meaning of the Beatitudes?
We just heard St. Luke's account of the Beatitudes which are slightly different from the version found in the Gospel of Matthew. The catechism says that they are "at the heart of Jesus' preaching" (1716), so it makes sense that He would have given this sermon more than once. In Matthew, it's the Sermon on the Mount. Luke's version has been called the "sermon on the plain."
But what do these statements mean? They seem paradoxical and sort of inhuman. We instinctively know that it's a bad thing to poor or hungry or sad. We rebel against those things and often do whatever we can to avoid them.
Jesus invites us to see things differently - and I would say that the key to understanding these "blessings and woes" is asking ourselves, "where do I put my trust?"
Think back to our first reading from the prophet Jeremiah:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Being cursed comes from relying on ourselves, on human strength. Being blessed comes from trusting in the Lord. In Jeremiah's illustration, both trees experience heat and drought, but the one who trusts in God is planted beside a stream. Even in the midst of trial and suffering, he has what he needs because he receives everything from God.
When Jesus says "blessed are you ..." poor or hungry, weeping or hated, He's not wishing for His followers to suffer - He's describing the simple fact that, in this world, we will suffer. When that happens, it doesn't mean that God has abandoned us or is out to get us.
On the contrary, our sufferings are an opportunity to learn to trust the Lord. All the ways that the world disappoints us are signs pointing toward our true purpose and our ultimate end.
The world will not, in the end, make us happy. It will not satisfy us. As St. Augustine said, "God alone satisfies." In these Beatitudes, Jesus points forward to eternal life when we will be fulfilled, happy, and truly alive.
St. Luke's gospel, the Beatitudes are followed by a list of "woes," statements that present the opposite outlook: "woe to you who are rich ... who are filled now ... who laugh now ... when all speak well of you ..."
Again, Jesus is telling us that, if we think we have found everything we need in this world, we are going to be sorely disappointed. Our possessions won't make us ultimately happy. We will always need more. The temporary happiness or admiration we experience now is going to pass. Then what will we have? What will satisfy us?
God alone satisfies.
Does this feel like bad news? It certainly can, but it's necessary for us to hear.
Think about going on a vacation. Before we go, we have so many expectations. It's going to feel good to get away from our normal life. We get to step away from stress and responsibilities. We're probably looking forward to doing interesting things - or doing nothing at all. Personally, I just want to read on a beach.
There's nothing wrong with any of that, but, the vacation is going to end. Our responsibilities will be waiting when we come back. Even our experience of relaxation or travel are going to fall short of the ideals in our minds.
To quote St. Therese of Lisieux: "The world is thy ship, not thy home."
We are on our way to a destination. We long for happiness and fulfillment, because it is truly out there.
What we need to remember is where we can actually find it.
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