TODAY is the Feast of All Saints. The gospel reading on this Feast Day is fixed. Every year it is the same passage: Matthew 5: 1-12a — The Beatitudes.

In 2008-2009, The Human & the Holy (H&H) community spent the better part of a year studying The Beatitudes. At our first gathering, among other things, we, of course, read the text from Matthew’s gospel. We then engaged in an initial prayerful pondering (alone and together) of the familiar text. Appearing at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7) the Beatitudes, in a sense, function as both a prologue and a distillation of the Sermon on the Mount.

Sometimes the best way to get to the core of an idea, belief, or action is first to consider its opposite. So we worked together in companion circles to write a corresponding beatitude for each of the eight as they are rendered in Matthew. The groups took the first clause of each beatitude, determined its subject, and then wrote a corresponding beatitude based on how contemporary American culture sees that subject, or more accurately, views that group of people who are said to be blessed. What, in relationship to those identified in the clause, did our culture value, celebrate, or bless by comparison? The groups then did the same with the second clause which is a prophetic promise Jesus makes to those particular people. We asked, what are the stated, implied, or hoped for rewards and promises of what American culture values and blesses? Because there was so much agreement in what the various groups came up with, and because what they came up with was almost diametrically opposed to what Jesus taught, we called these the anti-beatitudes.

This simple group exercise animated our community members for the year ahead. Their work was very illuminating. From the beginning, it gave us a sense of the provocative nature of Jesus’ words which call into question all the false programs and false systems whereby individuals and collectives, then and now, try to guarantee security, maintain control, and find happiness. We imagined how the beatitudes would be received today as a political platform. We decided it would be a very short and unsuccessful campaign. We also spent the rest of the year becoming more acutely aware of the fact that the community of faith that calls itself Christian doesn’t seem all that thrilled about the peasant-preacher’s words either. If the Decalogue is composed of ten commandments, we decided most Christians, ourselves included, see the beatitudes as eight suggestions or eight ideals that are not practical, inviting, marketable, sexy, fashionable, or self-serving.

I refer to the beatitudes as the eightfold-path of Christ, giving a playful nod and playing off of the eightfold path ascribed to Buddha. Most biblical scholars refer to eight beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel though it appears like there are nine. Matthew 11-12 are typically considered an extension of the eighth beatitude which is a blessing extended to those who have been persecuted. I see them as two expressions of one beatitude that involves being persecuted for daring the Christ life, and for venturing holiness which necessarily involves working for justice.

In the letter to the Philippians, the recipients are encouraged to “have the mind of Christ.” In the first letter to the Corinthians, the recipients are told “we have the mind of Christ.” But what is the mind of Christ that is supposed to be ours? I believe that the familiar but often ignored beatitudes spell out as clearly as any other passage in the New Testament the mind of Christ. What we might call Christ-consciousness. It is unsurprising then that the beatitudes are the core ingredients of the reign of God Jesus came to announce and embody.

The word beatitude comes from the Latin word beātitūdō‎ which means blessing or perfect happiness. But these eight pronouncements with their corresponding promises don’t sound like the typical weekly fare being served up at the “7 Quick Steps to Success and Bliss” Seminar being offered in the Ballroom down at the Hilton for a low-low price of $199 CD’s included. In fact, depending on the identities and social location of the hearers, these pronouncements sound like either (a) crazy in their certitude, (b) offensive in their inferences, (c) politically incorrect and threatening in what they promise and to whom, (d) the nonsensical babble of a man possessed, drunk, or pulling an April Fool’s ruse, or (e) too good to be true.

In a region where the Jewish people were at the mercy of a Roman occupation, in a society that favored power, prestige, and possessions and that was stratified accordingly with a clear demarcation between the haves and have nots (sound familiar), Jesus returns to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth where he reads these words of the prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

At the end, instead of the usual acclamation, you recall, Jesus surprises by saying, in essence, the one referred to in this passage from the prophet Isaiah is mua. Transfiguring the words of Isaiah, Jesus announces, in what for all intents and purposes is his inaugural address, that he has been anointed to bring good news to the poor who’ve come to doubt there is such a thing for ones such as them. He proclaims that he has come to liberate people who are unfree, bound, held captive, or oppressed by forces that are beyond their control. He says he will help people with 20/190 vision or, worse yet, no vision at all, to be able to see. And he says he is here to announce a year pleasing to God whereby the debts of the poor, instead of the poor themselves, will be thrown away. Shazzam! Gone! Canceled, thank you very much!  Let’s just say when word spread of Yeshua ben Joseph’s inaugural address that the have nots were giddy and the haves were having a hissy fit which probably explains why after word got around town, his name was X-ed off his Nazareth High School 15-year reunion list.

It is against this backdrop that we hear the countercultural vision, action plan, and eightfold path of the beatitudes. I have always liked the fact that the gospel reading for the Feast of All Saints are the beatitudes in Matthew 5. The designers and shapers of the lectionary got this one right. Why do I say this? Because the beatitudes are the M.O. of the saints. It is a list of the qualities, commitments, and actions of the friends of God, the title theologian Elizabeth Johnson gives to the saints. Who are the friends of God? They are:

the broken in spirit
they who mourn
the meek
they who hunger and thirst for justice
the merciful
the pure of heart
the peacemakers
they who are persecuted for aligning themselves with Jesus and standing for justice

After the H&H companion circles came up with their perceived anti-beatitudes pushed and peddled by the dominant American culture, I invited each person to work on their own fresh translations of the beatitudes over the next several weeks. They were without exception creative and insightful. Here is my translation of Jesus’ familiar words and, by inference, what I see as the qualities of the saints, or who I identity as being the dearest friends of God living and working in our midst. (Find below, also, the Notre Dame Folk Choir singing David Haas’ song based on Matthew 5: 3-12).

THE BEATITUDES

Embraced by grace are
the soft-hearted,
for heaven will find it easier to break into them.

Embraced by grace are
the broken-hearted,
for crushed grapes make precious wine.

Embraced by grace are
the humble-hearted,
for the earth shall be theirs to enjoy.

Embraced by grace are
those who are after the heart of God,
for God loves to be found.

Embraced by grace are
the big-hearted,
for they shall know the enormity of God’s heart.

Embraced by grace are
the single-hearted,
for they shall see what God sees.

Embraced by grace are
those who donate their hearts to peace,
for God will give them a new heart in return.

Embraced by grace are
the lion-hearted,
for in the face of evil their hearts shall remain good.

Embraced by grace are
those who suffer heart-attacks by others
because their love for me translates into work for justice,
for they shall be revived with the Breath of Life.

~ Dan Miller, © 2009, revised 2019.

ARTWORK: (Top) “The Beatitudes” created by Corita Kent as a banner for the 1964 World’s Fair.