#Blessed

What makes a saint #blessed?

This Wednesday we celebrate All Saints’ Day and on Sunday we will again commemorate this festive day with All Saints’ Sunday. If you are unfamiliar with this occasion, it is a time when we remember all those saints who may not have a particular day for us to otherwise think about their witness of the Good News of Christ Jesus. Strangely enough the day falls right after Halloween—that spooky time when we think about unrestful souls—and right before All Souls’ Day—that hallowed time when we recall all those who have died, especially in the last year. What strikes me about this three day period is that the church attempts to intentionally lift the veil between the living and the dead as we put ourselves in a thin and holy place of remembrance. We might wonder though what these days really signify? And, more importantly how do these times point to the Good News of Jesus? This makes me think in what ways do the lives of those around us help us to know the transforming power of God’s love?

Often when perplexed as to the deeper meaning of a Church-wide celebration I turn to the Holy Scripture for that particular occasion. When we are in Year A of the Lectionary we hear primarily from the Gospel according to Matthew. For All Saints’ Day/Sunday that means we hear some of Jesus’ powerful words from the Sermon on the Mount. In particular we hear the Beatitudes, which are those markings of blessing that we may or may not actually see as being a good thing. 

Here’s the Gospel lesson for Wednesday/Sunday (Matthew 5:1-12):

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”

The refrain of blessing stands out to me because these blessings do actually not appear to be blessings—at least to most of us in this world. Being poor (in spirit), being sad, being meek, being hungry, being merciful, being pure in heart, being a peacemaker, and being persecuted do not sound like the recipe for modern day success. Sure some of these things seem nice, but on the whole they sound like the undesirable half of either/or choices. Would you not prefer to be rich, happy, bold, full, and cutthroat (at least in business or sports). And while no one wants to be merciless, impure, or a bully, if it leads to being #blessed isn’t it all worth it in the end? Well, the ways of this world and the ways of Jesus often run at odds of one another, don’t they?

This week as I prepare to preach, I am thinking about the lives of those saints from my own life who will never be commemorated by the Church and how they might be the key to understanding these odd statements about blessing. Those souls who have recently passed through the veil, which separates this mortal world and the immortal realm of God, may have a clearer vision of what truly matters than I do. So, “What does blessing and being blessed truly look like?” 

The great cloud of witnesses around us and even including us see through the veil of this world. Saints are able to point with their lives to true blessing—i.e. what Jesus speaks in the Beatitudes. They communicate with their lives the Good News of God’s transforming love. They become for us signposts on our lives’ journeys, so that we might know more fully life in Christ. It is not about spiritual achievement or earning some wreath of glory rather, it is about living into really being blessed.

In all of this I think being blessed by God looks different than being blessed with riches, privilege, power, comfort, or fame. Saints are blessed, but they are blessed in knowing Jesus. They are blessed by being transformed through God’s love. They are blessed in sharing the Good News. In this way, I think I know a lot of saints and a lot of people who are #blessed.