UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE:“Blessed are those who are persecuted because ofrighteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”Matthew 5:3-10, NIVThis is a difficult beatitude to understand. At firstglance, it is almost like Jesus is glorifying suffering andpersecution. Of course, he’s not. Jesus knowssuffering and persecution are wrong, but he alsoknows that—even in painful places of persecution—there …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.” Jesus in Matthew 5:9, NIV Blessed are those who are cool headed, not easily triggered and willing to stand in the gap, who refuse to violently lash out in response and choose to stand fast for the sake of peace, …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” Jesus in Matthew 5:8, NIV Blessed are those who are innocent and still able to trust, who aren’t cynical or skeptical, who engage life at face value and believe that there is still a lot of good in our world, for …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” Jesus in Matthew 5:7, NIV Blessed are those who are patient when others make mistakes, who are quick to forgive and don’t always demand restitution, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are you when you treat others the way God treats …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Jesus in Matthew 5:6, NIV Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for things to be as they should, to be made right again, for justice to prevail, for they will be filled. “The hungering and thirsting long …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Jesus in Matthew 5:5, NIV Meekness is about carrying a gentle, humble, selfless and confident strength deep within yourself. Meek people don’t need to overtly display their strength or flash it around for others to see. Deep inside they are very secure. …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Jesus in Matthew 5:4, NIV “The ability to mourn, the willingness to mourn, is an admission—a kind of an acceptance—of our loss, our lostness and therefore a capacity for comfort.” Eugene Peterson, Regent College Lecture Blessed are those who mourn, because they …
UNPACKING THE BEATITUDE: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus in Matthew 5:3, NIV Blessed are those who really need God, for they will find him. Blessed are you when you are completely dependent or marginalized, when you have hit bottom, failed, or have fallen short, when you …
When your mask limits your ability to communicate clearly, perhaps you could let that moment remind you of the countless souls whose voices are never heard. Here, nuns wearing protective face masks, gather in St. Peter’ Square at the Vatican on July 5, 2020 as Pope Francis leads the Sunday Angelus prayer from his window. …
Dear Congregation, This week the leadership team met to discuss the restart of Sunday morning services. Reviewing the criteria that we set for a potential restart (the results of our congregational survey, current provincial guidance, the experiences of other churches, and an internal risk assessment) we have decided to wait a little bit longer before …