The Beatitudes & Ukraine

[URA]

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

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. (12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."​

Ah, the Beatitudes...those lovely, comforting, and utterly backwards blessings that Jesus proclaims to the world. Mourning is blessed; meekness grants power; persecution should bring joy. Some may think these are the words of a disconnected human, someone who doesn't understand the pains of the world...yet no one understood the world's pains quite like Jesus Christ.

This passage, the introduction of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, have become one of the most cherished passages from the Gospels. In the midst of any sufferings the world may bring against us, God tells us to have peace, joy, and hope.

This points to something very fundamental about our beautiful Christian faith; the sufferings of this world, as serious as they may be, are never the end of the story. The temptation to despair may become stronger every day, yet Heaven is never thwarted by hell on earth.

The Beatitudes are a deeply human passage, relating to the depths of pain, love, injustice, and the constant striving of humanity towards something greater. In the midst an unprovoked war with chilling implications, during the Lenten season that leads into Easter joy, it is vital to the hope of the world that we remember that our God embraces all, and is above all. The Beatitudes encourage us to remember our purpose in this life, without ever losing sight of the next life.

There is also a subtle verb tense in these blessings; you are blessed now, because of what will come. You are blessed when you mourn (in the present), because you will be comforted (in the future). We are blessed as we hunger for righteousness for Ukraine, because we will later be satisfied. Hope is crucial to understanding the Beatitudes; as we do good in the present, we are already blessed with the hope of what is to come. It is in this spirit of hope, of divine blessing, that we can truly appreciate the Ukrainian clergy descending into the bomb shelters to stay with their people. The spirit of hope is captured by the words of Ukrainian Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, in a message to his people after canceling a trip to Italy to stay with them in the warzone: "We survived yet another horrible night. But after night, there comes day, there is morning. After darkness, there comes light, just as after death there comes resurrection, which we all today radiantly celebrate.” *

*Ukrainian Catholic leader in Kyiv: Priests will celebrate Sunday liturgies in bomb shelters

It is hard to remember that we are blessed when we are poor in spirit. Persecution & lies hardly seem like reason to rejoice & be glad. But there is always hope, and for this we praise God. Let the Beatitudes guide our prayers for Ukraine, for Russia, for the world. Our God embraces all the sufferings & anxieties of this world, so we are never alone in our sufferings & anxieties. Let a few more words of Jesus further show His understanding of the world, and His victory therein:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” --John 16:33​