Beatitudes
As I was driving to work the other day, I started thinking about the Sermon on the Mount; particularly who is reverently referred to in the Beatitudes. The world in which I inhabit elevates wealth, power, distinction, honor, autonomy, self-reliance, status, and prominence. All of these goals of consumerism stand in strict opposition to the litany within the Beatitudes.
While I was driving, I developed a practice where I would name several pressures I was feeling, followed by a brief corrective prayer in the Beatitudes form. For example:
Pressure: Social media presence
Prayer: Blessed are those who retreat into solitude, for there you will find the beauty of Divinity enfleshed in who you are in the truest sense.
Pressure: Saving enough money for the future
Prayer: Blessed are those who invest in the lives of loved ones, for your returns of treasure cannot be measured by dollars gained or dollars lost; rather your return is immediately revealed in the tender moments of connectivity.
Below you will find a more thorough example of this. Feel free to use this in any context you choose.
A Beatitudes Prayer
written by Aaron Schultz
Blessed are those who live with less,
For your simplicity allows for abundance in unseen places.
Blessed are those who lean into dark places of loss, discomfort, and doubt,
For you will find comfort in the gaze of a companion.
Blessed are those who are quick to listen,
For you are preparing a needed space for others to fill the silence and be heard.
Blessed are those who freely offer their resources,
For your generosity of time is a tangible expression of Divine provision.
Blessed are those who leave an abundance of space in their lives,
For you are curating a place of encounter with the unknown.
Blessed are those who don’t equate busyness with usefulness, large paychecks with reward, or power with worth,
For you are in search of much loftier goals.
Blessed are those who pursue peace and meet division with a reconciling heart,
For out of your discomfort flows the compassion of Christ.
Blessed are those whose burdens are overlooked by those closest to you,
For you will find comfort in the safe embrace of the Holy Spirit.
Blessed are you, sisters and brothers, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven. When you wake up in the morning and feel the warmth of sunshine on your face, you have tasted the Kingdom. When your tears are wiped away by the delicate hand of a loved one, you have experienced the Kingdom. When meaning is difficult to find and you persevere in offering yourself up to the work of God, you are showing everyone around you the Kingdom.
Blessed are you, sisters and brothers. Amen.
