Readings (Year C):
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Luke 6:17, 20-26
Reflection: Our sufferings are blessings
A few years ago I watched an episode of Hard Knocks, where camera crews followed around an NFL football team and recorded all their practices and trainings during the offseason. A certain player kept saying the words “Bless ‘em.” When he was on the field opposite another player he would catch the ball and say “Bless ‘em.” When he passed his teammates he would give high fives and say, “Bless ‘em.” The player went on to say that God had given him a unique set of skills and every time he used those skills, he was blessing the world.
I laughed to myself because I wasn’t sure if that was how blessings worked. For him, every expression of his own gift was a blessing to the world. I would love to see the world in this way.
Interestingly in today’s gospel, Jesus is also upending our idea of being blessed. Now I am having images of Jesus running by us, catching a touchdown pass, and saying “Bless ‘em” as he does a victory dance.
Those who are poor, bless ‘em.
Those who are hungry, bless ‘em.
Those who weep, bless ‘em.
Those who are hated, bless ‘em.
Now, I always thought that I was blessed if things were going my way. If my life was comfortable, I had money in my pocket, and all the lights turned green before I hit the brakes, then I knew God loved me and I was blessed. These beatitudes totally upend my expectations and invite me to evaluate blessing in a different way.
Turning our expectations upside down, Jesus shows us that our sufferings are blessings. The things that we hide from and want to avoid are actually avenues to grace. Not that we should seek these things out. In my experience I haven’t had to go too far to experience a bit of inconvenience to downright soul-sucking circumstances. Jesus reminds us that our lives will be filled with the reality of difficulty. After all, we live in a post-fall, sin-infused world. Suffering will come to meet us and has most likely been a familiar companion on the journey. But even in that, we do not have to be afraid.
Our mourning is an invitation into blessing. Our persecution brings us ever closer to Jesus. We bring our whole selves, our victories, and our challenges as blessings to our brothers and sisters. We do not have to hide our weaknesses or our problems. They too are the ways we will bless the world. As we are, as God made us, as God calls us. Bless ‘em.
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