Deacon Brigid Waszczak

The Beatitudes
—Matthew 5:1-10

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Many of my friends memorized Bible verses as kids. I was never required to do that. Scripture recall can be daunting for kids put on the spot to spout verses verbatim.

In first century Jerusalem, Jesus knew those who heard him were mostly illiterate, so he devised easily remembered aural lessons. The Beatitudes fit that model. 

Each Beatitude follows a memorable pattern, “Blessed are the… for there is/ they will…” Each is Jesus’ invitation to embody life differently, to adjust our internal attitude rather than adhere to external, worldly expectations.

His words don’t shock us as they would have shocked the original listeners.

Jesus spoke of blessings upon groups typically considered less fortunate—the financially and spiritually poor, those mourning for what Rome was inflicting on them, those humiliated (the meek) by Rome’s occupation, those who longed for God to overturn their situation, those who craved mercy, those who worked to bring peace even in the midst of chaos, and those persecuted for trying to do what was right. These were the marginalized, the rejected or ignored, those the culture typically looked down upon! Blessed?

Jesus’ blessings were not defined by worldly wealth, possessions, and power but by alignment with God’s grace, growth, and glory. His being blessed (Latin: beatus —happy or fortunate) arose from embodying the countercultural qualities of humility, mercy, and peacemaking.

The Beatitudes can also be understood as Buddhist “koans” or statements that transcend logic and are meant to be meditated upon rather than solved. We are meant to “sit with” each of Jesus’ eight teachings, immerse ourselves in the pronouncements, let them break down our conditioned thinking, and allow our own intuitive understanding to emerge. 

I have long imagined these as “Be”-attitudes: be humble, be empathetic, be meek and not domineering, be merciful, be full of integrity, be a peacemaker, and be someone who speaks truth to power.

I work at embodying these traits and expect to continue struggling to integrate them as long as I live.

May you “be” filled with Beatitude blessings.

—Deacon Brigid