Jesus is talking to people who are made “poor,” “hungry, and are “persecuted.” It is possible for these listeners to feel cursed and to become resentful over the pain done to them. But Jesus tells his “poor,” “hungry,” and “persecuted” listeners to know they are “Blessed” and to “Rejoice.”
In one sense, Jesus is encouraging listeners to not take things personally. But why not? The decision to take things personally keeps us in touch with ourselves, others, and reality. Doing so is good for our heart health and for our mental health. Taking things personally keeps us truthful about who is responsible, specifically for the pain. What then is the wisdom in being told, ‘do not take things personally.” It may be that we are being personally cautioned against resentment. Resentment puts us out of touch and is not good for our health. It focuses us on negative actions, emotions, interpretations. Resentment becomes more than a single negative emotion. It becomes our singular negative disposition or unloving way of being in the world. Yes, we are hurting, so too loved ones. But resentment drags us down like quicksand and we cannot move freely as lovers. We will not know we are “Blessed” nor learn to “Rejoice” in the forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing we can co-create. When we follow advise to not take things personally, we are being given the opportunity to take things socially. We attend to more systemic hurt – the poverty, hunger and persecution across society – and who is responsible for such deadly pain. It is important to do so especially in the U.S., for, as Professor Phillip Alston notes, “The U.S. is alone among developed countries in insisting that while human rights are of fundamental importance, they do not include rights that guard against dying of hunger, dying from a lack of access to affordable healthcare, or growing up in a context of total deprivation.” Thus, since deadly poverty, hunger, and persecution cannot be confined as personal nor happenstance but are specifically crafted by rulers of societies to target most of the world’s people, it is vitally important to take things socially. U.S. First Nations communities know the truth of being systemically targeted still and still they affirm their “Blessedness” and “Rejoice” in the healing they do. For example, First Nations of Colorado take ‘socially’ “nourishing native foods & health” and take ‘socially’ “advancing household & community asset-building strategies”, and take ‘socially’ “stewarding native lands.” Therefore, they run a community food pantry, also farm to school food programs, as well as housing and land conservation and sustainable energy programs. Black communities, also still systemically targeted for deadliness, also take things socially and also still affirm their “Blessedness” and “Rejoice” in the healing they do. The Third Reconstruction is one such healing project (First post Civil War, Second Civil Rights). It understands “we must simultaneously deal with the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation and the denial of health care… that blames the poor instead of the systems that cause poverty.” The U.S. culture has segments in it that are contemptuous of people who face the daily deadliness of poverty, hungry, and persecution. These same segments are contemptuous of such people’s assertions of being “Blessed” and “Rejoicing.” We may, ourselves, be at least ignorant of the daily threats to their lives. We are called to take socially these deadly ills and the rulers who craft them. We are called to join with our brothers and sisters in “Blessedness” and “Rejoicing” as we take action to heal “poverty, hunger, and persecution.”
“Without concrete signs of… (action) in the lives of the poor, the gospel becomes simply an opiate; rather than liberating the powerless from humiliation and suffering, the gospel becomes a drug that helps them adjust to this world by looking for “pie in the sky”… the Christian gospel is more than a transcendent reality, more than “going to heaven when I die, to shout salvation as I fly.” It is also an immanent reality—a powerful liberating presence among the poor right now in their midst, “building them up where they are torn down and propping them up on every leaning side.” The gospel is found wherever poor people struggle… for their right to life.” (James Cone)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, We are Blessed and we Rejoice.
Question: What do I take personally that I need to take socially?
January 29, 2023 Gospel Matthew 5:1-12 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time