Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“An inner attitude
of receptivity and openness...Thomas Merton once wrote, ‘At the center point of
our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and illusion, a
point of pure truth, a point of spark which belongs entirely to God.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted.
“vulnerability and
flow...mourning is a brutal form of emptiness...if we can stay open, we
discover that a mysterious ‘something’ does indeed reach back to comfort us...”
Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are the
gentled...spiritually ‘domesticated”
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Righteousness: visualize it as a force field: an
energy-charged sphere of holy presence. To be ‘in the righteousness of God’
means to be directly connected to this vibrational field, to be anchored within
God’s own aliveness.”
Blessed are the merciful, for they
will receive mercy.
“Jesus again
returns to the idea of flow. Notice that there is an exchange going on here: we
give mercy and we receive mercy...Mercy is not something God has; it’s
something that God is...Jesus...invites us into a deeper trust of that flow.”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
will see God.
“...in wisdom
teaching, purity means singleness, and the proper translation of this beatitude
is, really, ‘Blessed are those whose heart is not divided’ or ‘whose heart is a
unified whole.”
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
“When our hearts
are gentled and single, when we’ve tamed the animal instincts, we become
peacemakers...when the field of vision has been unified, the inner being comes
to rest, and that inner peaceableness flows into the outer world as harmony and
compassion.”
Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Jesus is not
talking about martyrdom here, but about freedom. The Gospel of Thomas records
this beatitude...’Blessed are you in the midst of persecution who, when they
hate and pursue you even to the core of your being, cannot find ‘you’
anywhere.”
(quotes from Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus , 2008)
“Recent scholarship has found that previous translations of the eight beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew are in error inasmuch as they imply a kind of passive consolation in the face of tribulations. They are instead an invitation to stand up, to arise and walk forth, no matter what pain and trouble may lie on the road ahead. When we return to the original Semitic terms underlying the Greek version of Jesus’ words in this gospel, we find that blessed should be replaced by walk forth, which restores the text’s original dynamic quality.”
“Walk forth, you gentle and humble ones, for your gentleness is your strength. “Walk forth, you who weep, for you shall be consoled!
“Walk forth, those who starve and thirst for justice! Yes, they shall be satisfied! “Walk forth, the pure of heart! Yes, you shall see Elohim!
“Walk forth, merciful ones! You shall receive mercy!
“Walk forth, peacemakers! Yes, you shall be acclaimed sons of Elohim!
“Walk forth, those persecuted for justice’s sake! Yes, the kingdom of heaven is theirs!”
(Jean-Yves Leloup, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, 2002)
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