The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
BLESSED ARE YOU... The Rev. Janis Campbell Northminster Memorial United Church A year ago when I came across this reflection on the Beatitudes in the Canadian Church Calendar published jointly by the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada, I tucked it away in my "treasures" file. It was written by Robert MacLennan and is reprinted here by permission. Jesus outlines, in the Beatitudes, a spiritual view of life directly opposed to the material view so dominant in our society. In the kingdom of God, secular values are turned upside down - those who suffer in this world will be rewarded in the next. This interpretation of the Beatitudes is well known. But do we wait for death to perceive the kingdom of heaven? Perhaps we could begin to realize the promises of Christ on earth, here and now. But how in this life could the meek possibly 'inherit the earth'? There may be a way. What if people did not seek to control the affairs of others, but instead acknowledged their right to be themselves? What if people did not strive to possess the goodness of the earth, but instead appreciated and cared for it? Perhaps they would be so regarded by others and supported by the earth that they would realize, in effect, a blessed inheritance, a redeemed relationship, the high regard of humanity and the free nurture of creation. In the Beatitudes, Jesus states again the golden rule. What we sow, we will reap. But his words apply to the present as well as to the future. If we live as though the kingdom is truly near us, we will inevitably, through the grace of God, find the blessing of the kingdom around and within us. Those who are merciful will know the blessedness of extending the hand of kindness to others. Those who are pure in heart will see fewer veils before the face of God. Those who seek peace, though surrounded by war, will feel the calm of a soul in harmony with divine will. Jesus says that his listeners are the 'light of the world.' They may choose either to obscure the light, to hide it 'under the bushel basket', or to convey it to others, to raise it 'on the lampstand.' When we follow Jesus' teachings and embody the values of the kingdom, we radiate light to all around us. We show the world that the promises of Christ are real. And so, by attempting to shine on earth as Jesus teaches, we can begin to know and to let others see, even here and now, the eternal blessedness of the kingdom of heaven.
