The Beatitudes are to the New Testament what the 10 Commandments are to the Old Testament. These seven pithy statements, the stuff of my summer BLOG, puts a whole new spin on living the Christian life.
The Ten Commandments are rules to govern behavior. The Beatitudes speak to attitudes and our internal belief systems about life. Behavior follows proper attitudes... humility, empathy, openness, integrity, compassion, pure motives, and now this week, peacemaking.
There was a great deal of fighting in my childhood home. When my father married my mother, she moved into the family farm house. I was raised by my parents and my fathers parents. Two women ran the family, and this does not work. Two or three times a week after supper (on the farm we had dinner at noon and supper in the evening), a discussion would start about some event of the day. And this would turn into a loud fight between my mother and my grandmother (her mother in law). The fight then spread to my father and mother, her being angry that he brought her into this situation. It ended with threats of divorce, everyone crying and finally going to bed. As a child I would feel an anxious tightness when they were both together in the kitchen after supper... it didn't even take a fight, just a presence.
Jesus is in the boat with his disciples when the storm comes up. They panic. He is sound asleep. They wake him and I imagine scream at him, "do something." He quietly stands and says, "Peace be still." Did "peace" quiet the storm, or quiet their hearts or both... it doesn't matter, they felt peace. And in a sense he did not do anything, it was his presence.
We all know people that when they walk into a room, the anxiety level goes up. And we know people who bring in fact, who ARE reassuring peace. Blessed are the peacemakers. They know inner peace. They are at peace with themselves. They know that connection with God "that passes all understanding."
And they bring peace to others. Not just the absence of conflict, but real peace. A sense of blessedness. A sense of total well being, A sense of shalom. The respect and trust that really is love of neighbor. And this quality makes them a daughter or son of God. |