The Paradox of Faith
My devotional reading this morning was Matthew 5:1-12 , the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. It's certainly a strong opening for this section of the Gospel, for this series of teachings. Everything Jesus says here seems so... upside down. Dictionary.com com says beatitude is "supreme blessedness" or "exalted happiness." These pronounced blessings certainly get our attention, right? Blessed are... the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted... I get the pure in heart and the peacemakers - maybe those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - but the rest? Not likely feeling "supreme[ly] blessed" or happy to the point of exaltation. We've mourned - it doesn't feel good, it doesn't feel blessed - meek and poor in spirit? Maybe... but it's hard to feel blessed when you are persecuted. And, of course, Jesu...