Mt 5: 1-12: The Beatitudes: “Blessed are you, (your
name), the Kingdom of heaven is yours when you realize your dependency upon
me, when you know that you are my creation, my possession; when you realize
your creatureliness and my transcendence, imminence and indwelling, when you
are obedient to the directions of the Spirit that I whisper from within you and
around you and through others. The Kingdom of heaven is yours when you assume a
listening, respectful stance toward others and are sensitive to the feelings of
others, the fragility of the esteem of another, the other’s need for
affirmation and support. The Kingdom of heaven is yours when you do not lord it
over others, are meek and humble of heart.
Blessed are you, (your name) when you mourn when others are
suffering loss: the loss of a loved one, the loss of valued possessions, the
loss of dignity and respect, the loss of self-esteem and support, the loss of
freedom. Blessed are you, (your
name), when you mourn these things and take steps to restore loss
self-esteem, offer support to “weakened knees” raise up fallen heart and allow
others to grieve their losses.
Blessed are you, (your name), when you are meek and humble of
heart, you will inherit “solid land”; you will not sink into the “mud” of a
disgruntled, angry, proud heart.
Blessed are you, (your
name,) when you show mercy; mercy will be shown to you.
Blessed are you, (your
name), who are pure of heart, when the purity of the Spirit within you
transforms that about you that is less than what God intends it to be. As your
heart grows in purity, so, too, do your eyes see more clearly where and when
God is present or absent. Yes, you will see God at work when your heart is
pure.
Blessed are you, (your
name), when you keep the peace by
being peaceful within and without, when you seek to resolve conflict peacefully
rather than avoiding it or pretending peace has not been compromised by your
behavior or speech or negative attitudes. When you strive to restore peace
peacefully, people will then call you a woman/a man of God.
Blessed are you, (your
name), when, standing up for what is right, when acting justly, when
showing mercy, when being forgiving, when acknowledging Me, you are persecuted,
ridiculed, “stoned” with disparaging words, your reward in heaven for speaking
the truth and doing what is right will be great.
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