I am currently reading The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind – a New Perspective on Christ and His Message by Cynthia Bourgeault.
I wish to share with you her take on the Beatitudes. Last week I discussed the first four Beatitudes. This week I will discuss the last four Beatitudes.
To provide some quick background, Bourgeault presents Jesus as a wisdom teacher: teacher of the path of inner transformation.
this post may contain affiliate links
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” Mercy is not something God has; it’s something God is. We participate in this exchange. Brian Zahnd mentions that, “Mercy should be our default mode. In Jesus they found mercy.” Mercy means when a stranger comes to us and needs a meal, we provide one. Mercy means when we see a stranger freezing in the cold, we provide a coat or blanket. Mercy means when a distraught widow enters our church, we lend a listening ear.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” When we learn to see through the eyes of God, we are pure in heart. We can learn to develop this ability with the use of a contemplative practice: silent prayer, chanting, painting, walking meditation, photography. We cleanse our lens of perception and see without splitting the field into subject/object, right/wrong/, inside/outside and so on. Everything belongs as Richard Rohr says and it is wonderful and beautiful just the way it is.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” When we are pure in heart, we no longer feel the need to divide the world into winner/loser, right/wrong, insider/outsider. Our interior peace naturally flows into our outer world. We seem to bring a peaceful, compassionate and empathetic presence into the world. I am sure you have met people who seem to have this wonderful disposition.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is talking about an interior freedom here. Cynthia mentions that the Gospel of Thomas captures the essence of this Beatitude. “Blessed are you in the midst of persecution who, When they hate and pursue you even to the core of your being, Cannot find “you” anywhere.” I am sure many people come to mind as you think about this: Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. These are well-known, past public figures. I am certain there are lesser well known ones who walk amidst us on a daily basis who we can learn much from.
I hope you enjoyed this two part series on the Beatitudes. I invite you to read last week’s meditation if you did not get a chance to do so.
Go Further:
Books and courses by Cynthia Bourgeault:
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening
The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice
(Listen to The Heart of Centering Prayer for Free when you try Audible with a 30-day free trial.)
The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind–A New Perspective on Christ and His Message
Love is Stronger than Death: The Mystical Union of Two Souls
The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity
The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming An Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart
The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three: Discovering the Radical Truth at the Heart of Christianity
The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault: Jesus first and foremost is a Wisdom teacher, grounded in the universal traditions of spiritual transformation, and the first teacher of non-dual consciousness the West had ever seen. Almost two thousand years ahead of his time, he stands in the lineage of the great Jewish prophets, the master “cardiologist” entrusted with implementing the promise made to the prophet Ezekiel: “I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Centering Prayer by Cynthia Bourgeault: Centering Prayer is a simple, no-frills form of meditation in the Christian tradition. Since it was first developed by Christian contemplative monks in the 1970s, it has allowed tens of thousands of practitioners worldwide to “return home,” developing an authentically Christian meditation practice which not only delivers the healing and quieting of the mind typical of all meditation paths, but also reconnects directly to Christianity’s hidden treasury of mystical and transformational wisdom.
The Gospel of Thomas by Cynthia Bourgeault: This e-course, “The Gospel of Thomas with Cynthia Bourgeault,” is a complete “Thomas starter kit”: everything you need to know to get you up and running with this remarkable text, plus a generous sampling of its most important sayings, arranged thematically so that they speak to issues that contemporary spiritual seekers are actually dealing with.
A Simple Immediacy: Desert Wisdom for Advent by Cynthia Bourgeault: The Desert Fathers and Mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries are arguably the first Wisdom School in Christian history. At first in trickles and then in waves, they fled into the deserts of Egypt and Syria to escape the increasing imperialization of the Christian Church and to live in a simple immediacy with the Risen Christ. In the process, they generated an extraordinary body of practical teachings on the spiritual practices underlying this life of deeper awareness and mystical union.
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks – This is a great way to listen to books with your cell phone while you drive, walk or relax at home. I frequently listen in my car during my commute to and from work. I’m a proud affiliate.
Drawing from the wisdom of monastic life, modern psychology and best practices in personal productivity, the Monk Manual provides a daily system that will help you find clarity, purpose, wisdom, and peace in the moments that make up your life.