Making Heaven Part 4

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, or for knowledge or for power or for anything really—they are filled. I have noticed that people who want something tend to consciously or subconsciously do things to get it. And they are more often than not rewarded with that which they seek for. But the ones who hunger and thirst after righteousness are perhaps a special category. In seeking for righteousness, for goodness, for morality, they define it. They become that which is righteous. They become the Mother Teresas of the world. They fill the world with that which they seek.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

If you create a world of mercy, you will be given it by that same world. I think this has a lot to do with Christ's constant disgust with the hypocritical actions of the Pharisees, who saw themselves as above needing to follow the rules. Christ harps on the need to look inward to find sin rather than outward to point it out in others. If you recognize your own flawed state, you will begin to feel more sympathy for others who are in that same state. The bonus for this, especially in a modern world where democracy exists and we get to vote for our leaders, is that we can have a government that shows mercy, as well.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

The pure in heart are those who do not seek for their own selfish benefits in other relationships. They do not deceive. They are honest. These are the people who see God reflected in the faces of others. They are without guile, and thus they assume the best of others. While the best may not always be true, if you have been around someone like this, you know how wonderful it is to be with them. We feel at peace and we want to live up to these better expectations. Any teacher who has seen a child suddenly blossom when the old labels are taken away knows what I mean here. You see God in the face of those who are given a second chance.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Those who are peacemakers, the ones who end war, are given one of the highest monikers in the Sermon. Christ himself said he as come not to bring peace, but to bring war. And Christianity has certainly done that. But by making peace, we create a world where people can live—and thus work to change the world here and now. If people are dead, they cannot make this heaven in the here and now.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I think here is a promise to those who do not live long enough to see the fruits of their goodness in this world. Whether or not you believe that they live again after this life, they will be remembered and their good deeds will help change this world even after they are gone.