2021/Blog 3
As Jesus describes his way of living where love is the core value, he turns from addressing The Poor in Spirit to addressing The Mournful:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” (Mat 5:4 NRS).
Again, Jesus is intentionally vague. What are they mourning? Racism, poverty, riots, pandemics, hunger, war, death, personal failure, personal sin?
I don’t think it matters. He calls everyone weeping to be a part of the Reign of God—the Reign of Love. It is here that we all belong! The promise Jesus makes is that his way of living will address our deepest needs and hurts.
But
There is something Jesus teaches later that is very important. To fully experience the comfort offered to us, we need to forgive those who have brought us to tears. This doesn’t mean we don’t hold them accountable or stop them from causing further pain.
My friend defined forgiveness as:
“We will not do to them what they have done to us; however, we will hold them accountable.”
Accountability is an act of love. Stopping injustice and harm is also an act of love. So is making room for the repentant in Jesus’s world order.
Jesus is calling those in pain to him. Our part is to accept the comfort and wholeness offered by forgiving those who have caused us pain, stopping them from causing further pain, calling the guilty to repentance, and inviting the repentant into Jesus’s way of love.
Suggested Spiritual Practice for this week:
At the end of each day ask where you experienced hurt that day
and where you may have hurt another.
Make a plan for showing love both to those you have hurt
and to those who require forgiveness & accountability-holding love.
Disorderly Parables 