Dear friends in Christ,
This Sunday’s reading from the fifth chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew brings us a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The “blesseds” are worth reading over and over, so here they are:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The events unfolding before us in our cities and on the news are horrifying. I invite you to read and pray over these words from Jesus as you ponder the news. Where do we see the values Jesus upholds? Where do we see people preaching an antithetical message?
I can’t help but be struck by how rarely our political leaders talk about mercy, and yet it is one of the central themes of scripture. Meekness is in, coercive power is out. Peacemaking is in. And so on.
Let us all hunger and thirst for righteousness. And may we have the courage to act, knowing that all Christian action begins, ends, and is sustained always by the act of praying.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
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