Giving our heart seems to be the answer to the times that we are living through. The wise among us may do our part, but it is giving our heart, giving ourselves to each other on this day that warms our bones and sustains us. How do we give our heart, and what does this mean today given the year we’ve had in 2020? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the world a path that was later called the Beatitudes. Some have said that these are paradoxical statements, and they are not meant for this world, but I disagree. What at first seems paradoxical and confusing to the mind, can only be understood by the heart through practice and lived experience. Jesus offered a spiritual path that is authentic, and just as vital today in practice as it was then. But you can’t know this by reading lines on a page. This can only be learned by practice, by truly giving our heart. Inspired by Jesus’ Beatitudes, I’ve written my own understanding of each beatitude, and I hope it might give us a path of how we might give our heart to our life and the life of all our kin in this season.
Blessed are those who need help, for they will discover a true community.
Blessed are those who experience loss and sadness, for they will be gifted the warmth of compassion.
Blessed are those with limitations, because they will find access to true power.
Blessed are those who yearn for the righting of past wrongs, for they will be given the opportunity to do so.
Blessed are those who forgive, for they will never feel imprisoned or trapped.
Blessed are those who sincerely and single-mindedly intend for good, for their life will find fulfillment.
Blessed are those who seek to understand and reconcile with their neighbors and the earth, for they will find peace.
Blessed are those who experience difficulty due to solidarity with the marginalized and the vulnerable, for they will come to know the true source of their life.
These blessings seem to begin with the exact opposite of what we want: needing help, experiencing loss and sadness, recognizing limitations, experiencing difficulty. But I think this is the beginning of learning what it means to give our heart to our life and the life that sustains us. By fully experiencing and supporting each other in our humanity, we are blessed, and we receive that which we’ve always yearned for: freedom, peace, fulfillment. But I think we can only learn that by practicing it, not through intellectual understanding alone. Through practice of coming to rest and trusting our humanity, the world begins to open in new, profound and miraculous ways.
Now I’ll tell you a Christmas story. In a time not so far away there was a decree sent out across all the lands from Bethlehem to New York City, that all shall stay inside their homes for a season. In that time there was a ruler that many feared, and thus many thought of ways they might escape. It was a scary time, and many doubted if hope was even real anymore. Many wondered what the future would hold, and what the lives of our children would be like. Nobody knew the answers to this question, but something miraculous happened, something so miraculous even though it looked ordinary. Few would even be able to notice it was a miracle, it was so well hidden.
In a modest church in Youngstown, Ohio, there lived a community that knew instinctively how to give their heart. Even though we had to stay in our homes, someone said “well then, we can bring hope to people’s homes.” And they did just that. They went to great lengths to learn new technologies, to find new ways of offering hospitality, they reached out to comfort those who were grieving and experiencing loss, they never forgot their kinship with the most vulnerable among us. In this time, the people began to realize how much power they had, even though they looked just like ordinary people. In large numbers in the United States, in Europe, in India, the most vulnerable began to show their presence in the city centers and even out in the country. Farmers, blue collar workers were joined by those of every color and background. Black joined with white, Hispanic and Asian. Many came to recognize the land they had lived on their whole life as if it was the first time, and out of that new relationships were formed with different peoples including those who are Indigenous and gave their heart to this place for generations. With all of these miracles, there was also lots of difficulty: plague, sickness, loss, financial insecurity, and loneliness. On top of this many were arrested, threatened, even killed. It looked like hope might disappear forever.
But a small community in Youngstown had other ideas. They asked a simple question that only a child would ask, a child who had purity of heart without cynicism or fear. And the question was: How can we serve each other during this time? And out of that question, a path emerged, which inspired ordinary individuals from various backgrounds to come together for good. Part of this good was to join in affirming Black Lives, and to seek ways to align ourselves with our neighbors in the name of justice. Part of this was to deliver gift bags and remind each person that their birth is a special gift to the world, and we need them during this time. Part of this was to celebrate: commissioning a lay minister for social justice and encouraging others to follow their calling to offer to the world their gifts of healing. And slowly but surely, and with consistency, blessings began to emerge especially during the most difficult times when much seemed scary and uncertain. A series of blessings began to resonate clearly through practice and lived experience for this small community that changed the world now and forever.
Blessed are those who need help, for they will discover a true community.
Blessed are those who experience loss and sadness, for they will be gifted the warmth of compassion.
Blessed are those with limitations, because they will find access to true power.
Blessed are those who yearn for the righting of past wrongs, for they will be given the opportunity to do so.
Blessed are those who forgive, for they will never feel imprisoned or trapped.
Blessed are those who sincerely and single mindedly intend for good, for their life will find fulfillment.
Blessed are those who seek to understand and reconcile with their neighbors and the earth, for they will find peace.
Blessed are those who experience difficulty due to solidarity with the marginalized and the vulnerable, for they will come to know the true source of their life.
