Reflecting on the Beatitudes always brings about a sense of repentance in me. They have a way of holding up a magnifying glass to my motivations. They make me ask myself: what makes me make the choices I make each day? Are my intentions motivated by love of God and my neighbor, or love of myself? In the Beatitudes, Jesus addressed the reality that each of us face daily: our priorities and motivations. Our Gospel reading this Sunday comes from Luke’s version of the Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-26).
Notice that the “woes” are all things that we normally associate with blessings: money, pleasure/comfort, power, and honor. One who has these things in the eyes of the world is seen as successful. If we hold these values, it would be natural to base our priorities on becoming rich, comfortable, powerful, and honored. Here’s the thing: those four things are some of the top stressors of our modern world! No amount of money, pleasure, power, or honor can ever satisfy our hearts. We’ll always be striving for more to be successful in the eyes of the world.
Jesus turns the idea of success on its head and says that these things are actually “curses” or “woes.” You and I might call them “stressors.” I can almost hear Jesus saying, “Stressed out are those who strive to be rich, who work tirelessly so they can be comfortable, who climb the corporate ladder for their next promotion, who need the approval of everyone they meet.” Yikes.
Consider the “beatitudes” or blessings that Jesus highlights: poverty, powerlessness, mourning and dishonor. These seem like the real “curses,” but the Kingdom of God is full of paradoxes. In truth, these are God’s values, the things He deems as important. Matthew 5:3-12 is a fuller list of Beatitudes that can help us form a stronger image of what God values:
- Poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:3)
- Tenderness of heart marked by empathy and compassion (Matthew 5:4)
- Meekness and gentleness (Matthew 5:5)
- Hunger and thirst for what is right and just (Matthew 5:6)
- Mercy and forgiveness (Matthew 5:7)
- Purity of mind, body, and spirit (Matthew 5:8)
- Peacefulness (Matthew 5:9)
- Courage in the face of persecution (Matthew 5:10-12)
One idea to turning away from worldly values toward the values of the Kingdom is to prayerfully consider if any of the four woes (money, comfort, power, and honor) inordinately motivate you. A good indicator of this is if one of these things causes you a lot of striving, anxiety, or stress. Ask Jesus to reveal the truth to you. Know that He always desires what is best for you, and trust that He will gently aid your conversion, not coerce you. You might feel guilty; that’s okay, that’s how conversion begins. (Guilt is healthy; shame is not.)
If you find one of the woes, consider the opposite value of the Kingdom and ask God to help you reorient your life to this new value. You may find that focusing on the Beatitudes brings you more happiness and peace and alleviates your stress by striving for God’s values over the values of the world.