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Short pieces |
THE BEATITUDES |
Prologue |
| Jesus is unquestionably the greatest teacher we ever had. His teachings in The Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5, 6, 7) form the greatest ever message for humanity. One remarkable fact about this sermon is that after two thousand years it is as relevant today as it was then – if not more. To me it is a simple instruction manual – a DIY recipe – for making heaven on earth, for making my life on earth a happy and joyful one. This is the best way to total bliss in eternity – union with God in heaven at the end of my life on earth. This sermon is not in the abstract language of philosophers but in simple words that common man can understand. It emphasizes the importance of forgiving those who hurt us and of practicing universal love. This life of love is the short cut to peace, happiness and holiness. |
| Jesus begins this sermon by identifying eight categories of people who deserves special blessing from God. Here we are shown eight steps that we have to ascend to attain our goal in life. This introduction to the Sermon on the Mount is known as The Beatitudes. |
| The First Beatitude |
| Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
| Contentment is the key to being poor in spirit. One can be ambitious but not greedy. One can make money to live and to give but must not live to make money. A very wealthy person can be poor in spirit if he/she considers himself/herself just a trustee to the wealth which belongs to God and must be used in His service, for the good of others. Even a very poor person cannot be considered poor in spirit if that person is discontented and greedy. To enter the Kingdom of heaven here or hereafter one has to be poor in spirit. Heaven is the state of happiness and peace. Those who make themselves slaves to mammon or wealth cannot enjoy the serenity of the kingdom of heaven that is meant for the poor in spirit. |
| The Second Beatitude |
| Blessed are those who mourn; for they shall be comforted. |
| In some of the translations instead of the word ‘blessed’
we have words like, ‘happy’ or ‘fortunate’.
(The word in the Malayalam Bible, ‘bbhagyavaan’ means
‘fortunate’ also.) Whichever way we look at it, how can
any one be happy, fortunate or blessed if that one is mourning or
weeping? Shall we be content saying that if there is a valley there
will be a hill, in life as in nature? I think what Jesus means by this is that we must not lose heart or lose faith when we are faced with a terrible tragedy or when we suffer a great loss. On such occasions we must lean fully on our Lord and He shall comfort us. I doubt if mourning or weeping is a virtue in itself. I am sure it is the pure love behind what causes the mourning that is the virtue. |
| Allow me to share something from my life that brings out the meaning of this beatitude. Sharp in my memory are three occasions when bereavement broke my heart and I wept bitterly. (No tears though; only joy brings tears to my eyes!) Now, looking back on my life, I have to admit that there was marked improvement in my life after each of these occasions. Life had become more ‘comfortable’. I was surely ‘comforted’. Recovering from the shock of these bereavements I find myself more blessed or more fortunate, even happier than before. Yes; the Lord comforted me. I doubt if I would have had these blessings if I had not mourned so bitterly. |
| The Third Beatitude |
| Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth. |
| Here Jesus is advocating the benefit of cultivating the virtue of humility. ‘Inheriting the earth’ can be understood as being successful in the material aspects of our life – our life on earth. This underlines the fact that Jesus does not want us to ignore or forego the physical needs of our life for the sake of the spiritual. Following his teachings we can attain the physical goal of happiness and the spiritual goal of holiness. This beatitude tells us that humility, modesty or gentleness is the way to success in life. This reminds us of he dictum, ‘pride goes before a fall’. Pride is something that arises in our interactions with others due to a lack of love or understanding from us. Such pride is a hindrance in our progress – in becoming successful in life. It is often a lack of self confidence that leads to such pride. We can be humble and meek like Jesus if we love everyone around us as our brothers and sisters. |
| A very good illustration of how meekness and modesty help to overcome apparently insurmountable odds is the life and work of Mahathma Gandhi – the success of his non-violent struggle against imperialism in South Africa and India. |