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Back in 2019, when the Blues accomplished their unlikely march to the Stanley Cup, I was a nervous mess. My family, like so many of you, have suffered in silence, and sometimes not silently at all, as the Blues choked, year after year in their quest for the cup. During some of these high-stakes games, I got to the point where I couldn’t watch them live. So I would record the game and go do something else. Occasionally I would check the score but otherwise, I would wait until the game was over. If they won, I would go back and watch the recording. If they got smoked, I wouldn’t bother. As strange as this method was, it did wonders for my blood pressure and stomach lining. I was amazed how calm I was when I watched the games, already knowing the final score. Even if the Blues fell behind or there was some terrible missed call, it didn’t really matter. I knew they would be victorious in the end and that made all the difference.
Today’s gospel, outlining the beatitudes and what it means to be happy as a follower of Christ, offers a similar lesson. In the game of life, we already know who wins the battle between good and evil, sin and death. As bad as they may sometimes be, our sufferings and losses do not have to be the final score. In fact, Jesus shows us a way to be happy, even as we go through them. Happiness is not something far away in the future, or only found by a select few who win it all, have it all, or somehow skate through life with the fewest setbacks. Instead, the beatitudes promise happiness and blessedness to anyone and everyone who seeks Christ and the kingdom of God. A happiness that starts now, even when things look dark and disappointing. The truth is, we all want to be happy. This desire for happiness is what drives every aspect of life. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy, in fact, God himself put this desire in us. The problem occurs when we try to find happiness apart from God or in opposition to His loving plan for us. The problems we have in this life are not so much with what God wants, but with what we want. How easily each of us could finish the sentence, "I will be happy when...." with a million possible endings.
-- I will be happy when I grow up and move away from home.
-- I will be happy when summer comes and I don't have to go to school.
-- I will be happy when I retire.
--I will be happy when my aches and pains go away
Realistically, though, when will we be happy with this mindset? What will it take? What are the chances that it's ever going to happen? How long will it be? One year? Five years? Fifty years? Does it rely on someone else doing everything the way we want or with a millions things remaining under our control? We all want blessedness, happiness, and comfort. Today Christ promises these things, even when we find ourselves in the worst possible circumstances: mourning, persecuted, or in last place. God wants us to be happy so much that he gives us a roadmap, a way of life called the beatitudes, which ensure that happiness no matter what is going on around us. The literal meaning of the word beatitude means “blessed” or “blissful” and was the same Greek word used to describe the island of Cyprus: a place so blissful and perfect you never needed to leave its shores. Jesus is offering that same, self-contained contentment and peace which cannot be disturbed or taken away by outside influences. So how do we get it? As Jesus says later in the Sermon on the Mount, live for His Kingdom and his Righteousness; then we will be given eternal life along with blessedness, happiness, and comfort!
So what about the meek and lowly, the mourning and the poor in spirit? How about the merciful and the persecuted, the peacemakers and the pure of heart? All those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? They will be blessed, they will be made happy, they will inherit the kingdom of God not because they sought out persecution, not because they attempted to become poor in spirit, not because they willingly handed themselves over to death, not even because they worked to show mercy to those who don't appear to deserve mercy but because God wants them to have those things the world has not given them and cannot give them. True joy. True peace. True blessedness.
St. Paul understood the beatitudes very well in his own life and he knew how difficult it could be to embrace them. That is why we hear his explanation today in the second reading to the Corinthians. In the beatitudes, “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised of this world and those that count for nothing so that no human might boast before him.”
Sometimes we wonder what in the world the beatitudes have to do with us; they seem like wonderful, pious, platitudes that would be nice to have but don’t really fit us, especially in our times of loss and misfortune. If nothing else, just remember this: we know how this story ends; Jesus triumphs, evil loses, those who play dirty and cheat to get ahead will not be the ones who gain the final prize. That knowledge of victory makes all the difference, like it allowed me to remain calm while watching the blues, knowing these current sufferings will not last forever and it makes the final triumph all the more rewarding! The beatitudes teach us that we don’t have to wait to be happy, nor does everything have to go our way. If we believe in God, if we follow Christ, that joy starts now.
So how badly do you want to be happy? How strongly do you desire to be blessed? Is it enough to make you want to embrace the beatitudes? Place your hope for happiness in the wisdom of God. Seek to live for the kingdom of God every day and in every way. You will not have to wait until the next life to rejoice and the joy given to you will not be taken from you!
