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A
Loophole in the Kingdom
Fr.
George Smiga
January
29-30, 2005
Matthew
5:1-12a
W.C.
Fields, the famous comedian from the first half of the 20
th century, was known throughout the movie industry as an
irreligious person. He did not take much stock in churches
or church practice. It was therefore a surprise when an associate
of his came across Fields reading the bible. “Mr. Fields,”
the man said, “I never would have taken you to be a person
of faith.” “I'm not reading with devotion,” Fields responded.
“I'm looking for loopholes.”
W.C.
Fields might have been interested in today's gospel, because
there is a loophole in it, an escape clause from which a number
of us might benefit. The gospel selection is from the beginning
of Jesus' famous sermon on the mount and it consists in the
eight beatitudes. These eight sayings by Jesus are widely
recognized to be the heart of his teaching. They have been
called the Magna Charta or the Constitution of the kingdom
of God , because they express both what the kingdom is and
what must be done to be a part of it.
Each
one of the beatitudes begins by describing a present quality
or condition in us which will lead us to happiness and inclusion
into the kingdom of God . Most of the beatitudes point to
a virtue, a good habit, which qualifies us to belong to the
kingdom: blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy;
blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God; blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
These qualities of mercy, purity, peace characterize the kingdom
and those who belong to it.
But
one of the beatitudes is different—the fourth beatitude. The
fourth beatitude does not begin with a present virtue or good
habit but rather with a hope or desire: “Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be
satisfied.” The fourth beatitude says that we are blessed
if desire righteousness. What is righteousness? It is what
God calls us to be. It is the qualities that mark us for the
kingdom. It is, in fact, what the other beatitudes describe.
To be a person of mercy, of purity, of peace means that you
are righteous. The other beatitudes say we are blessed if
we have these qualities, the fourth beatitude says we are
blessed if we wish we had these qualities. As such, this beatitude
qualifies as a loophole, as an escape clause for us. For it
tells us even if we are not completely merciful or pure or
peaceful, as long as we hunger and thirst for those virtues,
we can still be included in the kingdom of God .
Now
when we first hear of this fourth beatitude, it can cause
concern. We can question whether the high moral tone of the
beatitudes is being undermined, whether we are dismissing
our need to be righteous, merciful, peaceful and pure. I do
not think we are. What motivates the fourth beatitude is not
a disregard for righteousness, but a deep compassion on the
part of God who recognizes how difficult it is to be good.
Most
of us know who we should be and how we should live. But many
of us struggle to find the wisdom and the strength to be what
God calls us to be. We know that we should be merciful, forgiving
those who hurt us. Yet time and again we cling to our anger,
refusing to let go of our hurt, still longing to get even.
We know that we should be peacemakers. Yet instead of taking
steps to build harmony in our relationship we continue to
explode with impatience and exasperation. We know that we
should be pure of heart. Yet our thoughts and our lifestyle
are overcome with unwholesome desires that drag us down. We
know that we should be poor in spirit. But we cannot resist
the temptation to throw our weight around, to promote our
self-importance, to judge others because they are different.
When
we recognize the ways in which we miss the mark, how we fail
to become the people God calls us to be, then the fourth beatitude
is our loophole, our escape clause from the legislation of
the kingdom. It tell us that even though we are not yet the
merciful, peaceful, pure and loving people we should be, as
long as we continue to desire, to hunger and thirst for that
kind of righteousness, God will not abandon us. God will still
help us to grow and improve.
The
fourth beatitude, then, is the beatitude for the imperfect
disciple. In the1970's there was a popular poster which read,
“Be patient. God is not finished with me yet.” When we are
not the people that we are called to be, the fourth beatitude
gives us hope. It tells us that if we continue to yearn for
righteousness, if we continue to hunger and thirst to be a
true disciple, God will work with us. God will make us more
merciful, more peaceful, more pure, humble and loving. As
long as we continue to desire what God has called us to be,
this beatitude promises that all is not lost. We can change,
and someday our desire to be righteous will carry us into
the kingdom of God.
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