What Makes Us Happy?
Attending church recently, I heard the gospel of the day – the annual reading that includes what is known as “the Beatitudes” – for what I calculate to be about the 75th time. (I’m guessing the age that I started paying attention.)
You know them, I’m sure, because they are among the most well-known parts of the Christian Bible.
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“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.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Poetic
I always thought they were beautiful, poetic really, but hearing them over and over and implementing them in today’s world? Get real. What could they possibly mean for a person in today’s cultural and social climate who is searching for God, who may have doubts about religion, about the quality or “quantity” of his or her faith, even about God’s existence?
Poverty? Mourning? Meekness? Hunger for righteousness? Mercy? Cleanliness of heart? Peacemaking?
Nothing, it seems, could be more irrelevant in today’s world. They are utterly antithetical to what society says is important.
Yes, but if you are serious about the search for God, if you seek him/her in the Christian tradition, shouldn’t you be into this teaching? Of course, but we’re human and humans don’t have a sterling record of doing what we’re supposed to do or what we say we’re going to do. Does that deflate the value of the Beatitudes? I don’t think so.
Fats and Sugars?
Look at New Year’s resolutions. We say we’re going to cut down on fats and sugars, for instance. Sometimes, we actually do. But often our determination wavers, sometimes quickly, and we’re back to square one. Does that alter the value of the resolution? Does that mean that cutting down on fats and sugars is a bad idea for somebody who needs to do so? Likewise, the value of Beatitudes is not diminished by people who ignore them.
Let’s look at the Beatitudes a little more closely to see how we could actually live them out in our daily lives. The first thing to consider, in my opinion, is to see them as ideals, as goals to strive for. They’re not commandments. They’re Jesus’ prescription for happiness (“Happy” is one translation of “blessed.”), and true happiness is the goal of the Christian faith.
So, poverty of spirit will make us happy? That may seem unlikely, but what if we had less interest in stuff, in acquiring it and keeping it? Wouldn’t that make us happier? And couldn’t we have more of this spirit if we focused on loving God and others and curtailed our focus on stuff?
Happiness and Mourning?
What about “those who mourn?” That pretty much covers all of us since, except for the hard of heart, we all will mourn at some time in our lives. I believe Jesus is reminding us that death itself has meaning, that it’s not the end, that “eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him.”
And about being “meek,” does this mean that we’re relegated to a life of wimpiness? You only have to read the gospels to see that Jesus himself was no wimp. The first dictionary definition of “meek” is “humbly patient or quiet in nature, as under provocation from others.” Wouldn’t that make us happier?
You could go on with the other Beatitudes, and like placing the list of New Year’s resolutions on the refrigerator door, I need to hear them read at church at least once a year.
