St Matthew, Chapter 5, verse: 6, The Beatitude: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for Justice.

Today we are still working with the Beatitudes:   

6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they  
   shall be satisfied. 

Again today, we see that Christ in his teachings gives us another group of people living on this earth who's desires will be satisfied.  Who among us has not been treated unjustly?  Who among us has not been given a fair shake?  Who among us has not burned with the desire for vengence to correct the wrong that we felt? 


Our desire and need to be justly treated, whether we are right in our need or whether we are wrong in our need, leads us, often times, to seek our own revenge to satisfy that unquenchiable desire for justice.  In many cases that desire is accepted as a way of life, and chalked up to the way we live, since we feel there is nothing that we can do.  And in other cases we see those individuals who feel that there is no justice in society and so they take matters into their own hands, provide justice outside of that which society offers.  We applaud the hero in the movies who walks tall and carries a big stick, taking revenge on his own hands. 


Each minute of the day we see news reports where people are killed, beaten, brutalized, murdered, based on some sense of justice.  A teenager is brutaly stomped to death, simple because three other teens felt wronged and decided to take vengence into their own hands.  They only knew of one way to deal with their feelings of anger.  We see mysterious murders where people are killed in their own homes, tied up and shot in the head, because of some wrong that was committed outside of the legal system, according to some code of justice that is not based upon God's laws.  We live in a society of violence. 


Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.  Hunger for justice is like a good meal that we long to have and have not had in a while.  Hunger for justice is like a longing to be on a far distant vacation away from the cares and worries of the day, where we are relaxed and forgetful of the place we just left.  Thirsting for justice is like a desire for a drink that when we have it will relax our inner being and bring a sense of calm within us.  What we deisre is that which will change how we feel about something that is within us.  What we want is that which will give us a change of mind and a way fo viewing life from a different perspective. 


Christ has said to us in this passage that those who hunger and thirst shall be satisfied.  Is this enough to satisfy us??  Are his words a calming effect that will begin to change how we feel??  His words are words of truth.  There is no lie in him.  Then, therefore, we can take our injustices to him and place them at his feet, saying: "You told us that we shall be satisfied."  Here are our injustices, here are the wrongs that have been done to us, here are the hurts and pains that we have suffered at the hands of others.  Give us the satisfaction that you have promised. 


Many years ago I was given a practice by my sponsor to create a God box.  Take all of my hurts and pains and write them out and put them in my God box and put it on the shelf of my closet, I was told.  I wanted to take them back, when I was reminded of the hurt and pain.  I wanted to act out on the thoughts that I had against the people whom I felt had harmed me.  I had thoughts and plans as to how to carry out my revenge to satisfy my need for justice.  However, the God box was an exercise in letting go.  It was an opportunity for me to learn how to place my trust in God and an opportunity of ridding myself of the constant thoughts of revenge.  I had to practice letting go of those thoughts when they came up in my mind.  I had to push them aside and not let them take control of me.  I had to work daily and sometimes, every mintue, to keep myself from thinking about how I would exact my revenge. 


The devil wanted to control of my thoughts and actions but with the help of my God box, I refused to pick them up.  I blocked out the thoughts.  I focused on something different.  I did something  different, i.e., took a differnet position, or stopped what I was doing and did something different, or in many cases, just took a deep breath to slow my breathing and heart rate so that I could just think again.  I can remember in one instance of my life I wanted to kill a person.  My thoughts were consummed with how I would go about doing that.  I thought about what would be the best place, i.e., at work, or at his home, when he was coming and going.  I was sick and almost followed through with this plan.  I was on the brink of death.  And yet there was something inside me that brought me back from the brink.  Something that kept me from going through with this plan.  I know now that it was the hand of God that kept me from going over to the dark side.  Later, I put those thoughts in my God Box and learned how to let go of that anger by forgiving the person and forgiving myself.  I hungered and was thirsty for justice but did not exact it.  Today, any injustice I encounter, I place it in my God box and put it on the shelf.   Today, I know that I shall be satisfied.

St Matthew, Chapter 5, verse: 5, The Beatitude: Blessed are they who mourn.

Today we are still in the beatitudes:     5 Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This beatitude is for all those who weep and mourn for whatever reason.  Some weep for lost ones who have left this life, some weep for those who are still here but are lost, some weep for those who are suffering in this life with all kinds of afflictions and ailments.  But Christ says that all are devinely and supremely favored and fortunate for they shall be comforted.  So at some future time, not now, but in the future whether here on this earth or in heaven, they will be comforted.  What comfort will they receive?  What could possibly bring comfort to those who are suffering now, who have lost loved ones, wo have sisters, brothers, fathers, sons, and realtives that are afflicted with bad health and ailments?  What could possibly make a difference?

God's words are truth and in them there is no lie.  He says through Christ Jesus that those who mourn shall be comforted.  If I am to blieve this then, I must understand that even though I suffer now, I will be comforted later.  Even though I have pains in this life, I will be comforted.  Can this be my comfort??  Can his words tell me, that, knowing that his words are true, I can substitute his words for my pains and know that I will have comfort??  Can I believe that those who are suffering now will not suffer in Christ??  Can I believe that someday that my suffering son, or daughter, or father, or husband, or wife, or relative will have comfort for the pain that she/he suffered??  Will this give me comfort??

Blessed am I that mourn.  Devinely favored am I that mourn.  God has recognized my pain and given me his words that I will have comfort.  He has told me that I shall be comforted in my afflictions and sickness as I mourn for my losses.  Blessed am I.    

St Matthew, Chapter 5, verse 4, The Beatitude: Blessed are the Meek.

Today we are still in Chapter 5, second paragraph, The Beatitudes.  Today's beatitude is:

      4 Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the    
      earth.  

Again we find that we are blessed if we are meek.  What does it mean to be meek?  The dictionary describes meek as being humbly patient or submissive, as under provocation from others.  So, I am blessed if I am patient or submissive, and I will possess the earth.  These are the words of Christ, which are truth.  If I am to believe the Bible and its meanings, to get some understandings, that means that I must believe the words of Christ because he speaks the truth.  God does not lie.  God cannot tell a lie but only speaks the truth.  God is the father of all truth, just as Satan is the father of all lies.  So how does this truth apply to me??


How does having possession of the earth help me??  Can I take my ownership and cash it in for the wealth of the world??  Will selling a portion of my possession buy me a new house or a new car or put money in the bank.  If I possess the earth, own it, what benefit is it to me??  One can look at the opposite meaning, what does it mean for the earth to possess me as opposed to my possessing the earth.


In our time, we are taught that to be successful, we must be aggressive.  We must go for what we know and what we want in life.  We must not give up but be positive about our goals and assert ourselves in what we do.  Our goals and desires drive our behavior, and our desires are fed by what we see on TV, read in magazines, and hear from the society in which we live.  There are all sorts of things out there that will make us happy, if we only had them.  A new car, sharp clothes, and money to burn, will bring us popularity with our friends and success with the opposite sex.  This drives us to possess what we think will make us happy.  And our drive is being reinforced by what is being fed to us by the commercialism of this day.  Are we possessed by the earth??  Does the earth and what abounds in it have control over us, telling us who we are, how we feel, what value we place upon ourselves.  Are our emotions compelled by our passions?? 


We feel anger by what does not meet our expectations.  We know sadness by what we have been hurt.  We are let down by the obstacles that we face in attempting to reach our goals that would make us happy.  Our anger boils within us stealthily seeking a way to escape upon any opportunity that presents itself.  We grow up thinking that we are wild and our emotions should express that sense of wildness.  So we end up doing things that express this sense of wildness, far beyond the norms that are part of what we have been given by our parents.  We experiment with relationships that we know are unproductive.  We allow ourselves to experience behaviors that are detrimental to our health and well being, using drugs and drinking, having sex for the sake of pleasure, stealing, and using foul language to express the anger and frustration that is within us.  The earth has possessed us, it has taken hold of us,  as opposed to our having possession of it.


Meekiness is defined in biblical terms as, the virtue that moderates the passion of anger by keeping it within the limits required by natural and supernatural prudence.  So in order to keep anger out of our lives we practice meekness.  In order to not let the earth possess us, but to own the earth, we must practice meekness. 


One would think that being submissive is being a coward, not standing up for what was right.  God gives us his words and commandments not as harsh law, to beat us over our heads if we transgress them.  Instead he gives these words of wisdom so that we do not fall, so that we do not cause harm to ourselves, so that we can understand his love for us.  Like a father knows that fire will burn, and a fall from a high place will cause injury, or that eating a poisonous substance will cause harm, he protects his children from these things so that they do not harm themselves.  He loves his children.  So does our heavenly father loves us and wants to protect us.  He gives us commandments to keep us from harm because he knows what will cause us injury and what will destroy us.  Meekness keeps the door to anger closed.  It allows us to enjoy the beauty of this world, while not having the things of this world take possession of our minds, bodies and our souls.  Instead we posses the world.