Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so
that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the
encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they
who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for
they will be satisfied.” Matthew
5:3-6
Piety
The tenth degree of humility is that he
be not ready and quick to laugh, for it is written, "The fool lifts up his voice in laughter"
(Eccles. 21:23). Rule of St. Benedict,
Chapter 7
Study
No matter the affliction or suffering, our
God is the God of encouragement. Chin
up. Smile on your face. Back straight. No matter what your opponents dish out, just “as
Christ’s sufferings overflow to us,
so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.”
so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.”
When we who are poor in spirit call out, the
LORD hears, and despite his distress on the Cross, he saves us – TOO! His cup is not filled with encouragement…it
is overflowing. In this week that began
with the celebration of the Body of Christ (Corpus Christi), we taste and see
goodness in all that is around us…even in suffering. The Beatitudes flow and overflow from this
encouragement. Poor in spirit? Brush it off.
Mourning? Look up! Meek?
Get over it. Hungry for
righteousness? Fugedabodit!
Paul’s Letter to the people in Corinth “overflows”
from the spirit of the Be-Attitudes delivered in the teachings presented on the
side of that mountain.
Action
It is easy to get caught up in our own
problems – illness, bill collectors, bosses (or unemployment), family problems
and addictions. You name it. We have an affliction for it. Afflictions beyond afflictions. Jesus, though, is not Lord of our
afflictions. He is the Lord of Our Encouragement. He took our afflictions on his back when He
was nailed to the cross. Freed from those
burdens, we can focus on repairing and advancing His body, His blood, His
church.
Our choice is to either take refuge in our
afflictions or in the encouragement provide by Jesus. It’s up to you. Which path do you choose? The bitterness of self-pity or the sweetness
of mercy, kindness and encouragement? If
the tenth degree of humility is not to be too frivolous and quick to laugh,
maybe the corollary is to be not too melancholy and quick to wallow.
Flee from afflictions and run to mercy. Just
as the readings last week focused on Tobit’s zest for righteousness, we are now
encouraged to be custodians of justice and kindness and mercy today. In the
spirit of Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.”
“[M]y
cup overflows. Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of
my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days.” (Psalm
23:5C-6)
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