Blessed are you...

‘Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

‘Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh. Luke 6.20-26

This picture gives me great pause and pain in light of one of the gospel readings appointed for today. From the gospel of Luke, we hear a version of Jesus' sermon on the mount which turns the world's values upside down, blessing the suffering and downtrodden and promising them happiness and fulfillment in the kingdom of God.

This picture screams poverty, grief, hunger, weeping and fear. Where and when will these people find the blessings of Jesus' message? When will the rich and the full and those who are already blessed be filled with the woe or cursing Jesus mentions? How have the world's values been so upended that this sight is a common one in our world today?

A priest once told me publicly I was one of the rich in the passage from this lesson - I had received my consolation she said, and I would have to figure out what to let go of if I wanted to be a priest. I carry those words with me as a constant correction when I see sights like the one above. How, when,where and what can I do to fulfill Jesus' promise to the poor and grieving, the mourners and the hungry? What must I give up to serve these people? to afford them their rightful blessings as beloved children of God? Words? Actions? Prayer?

Though the priest above meant her comment as criticism, God has used it as incentive for me to be a part of the Body of Christ in prayer and action, supporting the victims of the cruelty that is being inflicted all over the world. But God only knows what I can do...and so I pray.

Blessed are you who flee the horrors of your world. May God be with you as you seek shelter and peace. Amen.