Grandma

3/3/2014

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

The Sermon on the Mount has confused devotees for years. If someone sues you for your cloak, give them your tunic as well. How can Jesus be serious? It flies in the face of common sense. And the whole thing begins with perhaps the most nonsensical part of all, the beatitudes, the “blesseds.” Some of them make sense, like “Blessed are the peacemakers.” We can see the advantage of that. But “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness”—this stretches the limits of credulity. We get around it by redefining “blessed” in our minds. “Blessed” must mean “good, holy, religious.” Kind of like the Blessed Virgin Mary. But in fact it means “happy, fortunate, well situated.” Strip away all the religious overtones we’ve added to the word since Jesus used it in this context; you might translate it “lucky.” “Those mourning people, aren’t they lucky.” What in the world makes you say that, Jesus? “Because they are the ones who will be comforted.”

My grandmother died February 7. I was given the opportunity to do the service, and after some deliberation, I accepted it. I knew it would be hard. Just sitting at my computer, writing about her, the memories we shared and my longing to see her again someday, brought the tears to my eyes and tightness to my throat. What would happen when I stood up to speak? Sure enough, it was a struggle just to get through it, and I had to pause more than once. It was saddening, for all of us. At the same time, seldom have I longed so much for the Resurrection. Seldom has my heart been so taken up with the hope of our faith that death will be defeated and we will be reunited with the dead in Christ in his glorious presence. Mourning is a blessing. It is a gift that sharpens the richness of the hope we have by faith.

Jesus does not say, Even those who miss the really good things of life get a consolation prize, so they are in some way blessed, too, even if they're not so blessed as those of us that don't need the beatitudes. He says, Fortunate are those who mourn. The whole Sermon on the Mount is utterly incomprehensible to those who focus on what they can acquire and enjoy in this life. The whole point of the beatitudes is a future hope; every time he says someone is “blessed,” the rationale is what they will receive: “They will be comforted… they will inherit the earth… they will be filled.” The joy of that coming kingdom of God is so much greater than the joy of the present world, that anything that augments our treasure and hope in that joy to come, even if it means taking a loss in this present world, is a gift. It is no consolation prize, it’s like investing a hundred dollars today that will return ten thousand. A friend may say, that’s rough, you lost a hundred dollars, huh? You would say, Well, yeah, I might have to do without it for a while, but trust me, you don’t need to feel bad for me. We should all be so lucky as to have such a return on our investment.

Those who mourn are lucky, they are fortunate, they are blessed. I don’t say this lightly. Losing my grandmother and mourning for her has not exactly been easy. But from now on, how will I think of the Resurrection without thinking of her? By this temporary loss, my hope for eternity is deeper and richer and sweeter. It is a gift we would not choose, but how can we not accept it?