A continuation on our series on the beatitudes: Blessed are the meek, and Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Aren't these in contradiction? Which is it- are we to be meek and patient and gentle in the face of a world that has hurt us and will probably do so again, or are we to be honest about our dissatisfaction with so many things? Don't tell me the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Ok! It doesn't. It lies in being both to the utmost. That's where we can encounter the joy and full aliveness that comes from God knows where.
Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
The Beatitudes are some of the most memorable and quoted lines from the New Testament. They distill a vision of new ways of living. They only make sense if you can see within and beyond this reality into another one - an upside-down, outside-in, bizarro reality that Jesus of Nazareth not only imagined but saw as if he were rocking contact lenses with a prescription stolen from another dimension.
This week: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:3) Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)