Beatitudes from the other side

Let’s start off with a little memory test. And hopefully it rings some bells: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” For those who came up through American schools and didn’t sleep through Civics class, you’ll probably recognize the beginning words of the Declaration of Independence. And most of us believe and embrace those words, even if we don’t always act like it. It’s that last part we need to focus on today — “the pursuit of happiness” — because it’s ingrained throughout our readings this morning. But we’ll come back to that.

As a young man in my mid 20s (a VERY long time ago), I found myself unexpectedly teaching a beginner team of 3rd and 4th graders the game of soccer. At that point in my life I’d been playing competitively for over ten years, so I understood the strategy of the game pretty well. But when you’re faced with a group of excited and energetic neophytes, you can’t just jump into teaching them how to execute, say, a midfielder cross to the far wing or how to execute an offsides trap. You start with the basics. You give them three, maybe four things they SHOULD do, and three or four things they should NOT do. This is how you pass the ball. Keep your kicks short and under control. Look up when you pass. Don’t touch the ball with your hands. No pushing or tripping. Don’t stand right next to a teammate. Simple basic things — things they can easily remember, put into practice, and build upon. It’s the only way any of us can begin to learn anything new.

That’s where we find Jesus in Luke’s Gospel this morning, the Sermon on the Plain. Jesus is just starting out with the twelve apostles. In the verses immediately before today’s reading, Jesus selects his apostles from among the many disciples who had been drawn to him. And there they stood — no doubt pumped up and excited at having been called — and totally clueless about what it all meant or where it would lead. But rather than trying to explain to them his road to Calvary, the gift of salvation and what it would cost, or the Paraclete and the Holy Trinity, Jesus starts with the basics. He gives his neophyte apostles a few short, simple “touchstones” — four blessings and four woes — for them to learn, ponder, and come to understand over time. He gives them the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.

Blessed are you who are hungry, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who are weeping, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you because of me, for your reward will be great in heaven.

But woe to you rich, for you’ve received your consolation.

Woe to those filled now, for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh, for you will grieve and weep.

Woe to you when all speak well of you, for they treated the false prophets the same way.”

Simple to understand, right? Not so much. If you look up the word “beatitude,” it means “supreme blessedness or happiness.” So it makes sense the Beatitudes would show us a path to happiness. But I suspect most of us would NOT feel supremely happy or overly blessed by being poor and destitute, constantly hungry, filled with sorrow, or hated by others — more likely just the opposite. So maybe we need to take a different perspective to what Jesus is saying here — to stand the Beatitudes on their head.

“How lucky are you poor and hungry, because you won’t be addicted to material things.”

“How lucky you are not to dwell on good feelings, because those feelings can be fleeting and quickly gone.”

“How lucky you are not to be addicted to the approval of others, because you can never get enough of it.”

And the four woes — to those who are rich, who are filled, who laugh, or who are spoken highly of — they’re just the mirror reflection of the four blessings. The message is simple. If we become used to and expect or need the good things of this life, we’ll be ill prepared when they go away and circumstances change. And they will — of that we can be sure.

The message Jesus gives to his new apostles — and to US today — really IS basic and simple: lasting happiness will never come from the things of this world. Good or bad, like the morning mist they will evaporate and fade away. This reality is the basis for Christ’s entire ministry here on earth, the key point he begs us to understand.

The prophet Jeremiah says much the same in the first reading. If we look to the things of this world for happiness, we’ll find ourselves dry and barren, thirsting for sustenance where none can be found. Only in the Lord will we find what we need to blossom and bloom into who we are called to be. And St Paul reminds us that we must look beyond what we can see // with faith and hope to find the goodness, the grace, the true happiness destined for us in Christ.

Which brings us back to where we started — the pursuit of happiness. All of us want to be happy — it’s part of us, ingrained in our very nature. We spend our lives in our pursuit, and that’s okay. But we tend to focus on what we see — more money, a bigger house, a better school, more stuff. And all that will never be enough.

That’s the heart of our message today. Lasting happiness is not to be found here. Good or bad, our world will change. The happiness we seek and crave lives above. We need to raise our sights from this world to focus on the next, the promise and hope of our salvation in Christ. Because once we shake off the spiritual chains to our worldly surroundings, we can begin to move closer to the hope, the happiness, the true Beatitudethat rests in God.