Beatitudes For The Weary Christian

One of my colleagues on Liturgy Commission shared Katie Cook’s “Beatitudes for the Weary Christian” from Seeds of Hope.

I was thinking as I read the title of the handout, “I’m tired today. I really need this.” The one bit that struck me:

Joyful are you who meet with hatred
because of your stand for justice,
Your reward will not be the punishment
of those who abuse you;
Instead, you will long for their redemption.

I don’t think my stance for justice is all that powerful. I lead music people want to sing. The lyrics are not all that scary–not unless you go deeply into texts like Luke 1:46-55 or Psalm 34 or Psalm 146.

But I have to admit I do like to win an argument, and that can be punishing enough.

How many of us can say we think about another’s redemption, much less find ourselves longing, desiring, and praying for a change of heart?

Image credit: James Tissot, 1890 (Jesus preaching the original Beatitudes.)