Blessed are you…

“Do not think I have come to abolish the law…I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill (the law)”.

The 5th chapter of Matthew begins on a mountain with the Beatitudes.  Jesus holds up those who mourn, the peacemakers, the poor in spirit, the meek of heart, and the persecuted.  Jesus calls these people “Blessed” assuring them “…they will be comforted…they will inherit the earth…they will receive mercy…they will see God…be called children of God…theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.  Jesus adds encouragement saying, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”  “Blessed are you…” The Beatitudes are the fulfillment of the Law. They pronounce the new Covenant. Jesus is saying blessed are they who live these qualities.  Their light (of the world) is soft, warm and inviting, while the light of the bombastic directives of the Pharisees and the scribes is harsh and burning.  Hard to warm up to. The Beatitudes are the fulfillment of the law

What is this saying to me, to us. Possibly, we are being invited to move closer, to sit near and to follow this soft warming glow of these folks.  Possibly, we are encouraged to move close enough to touch a mourning stranger, to stand with and encourage the peacemaker and the meek. To soothe and care for the persecuted.  Of all the senses, I think that touch is the most consoling.  We were all born skin hungry. At birth we reach for the warmth, comfort and nourishment of our mother’s breasts. Toddlers and children yearn for the hug and sweet kisses of loved ones.  Teenagers, especially teenage girls – hug each other all the time!  When schools reopened after the COVID year, school corridors were full of joyful giggling and hugging as friends reunited.  A glorious, sacred reuniting to behold. All of us live out our days yearning for the touch of someone – family, stranger or friend.  We will diminish and die longing to hold a hand, to be held in the arms of another– until we are held in Jesus’ arms. 

In the yearning and the compassionate response is the fulfillment of the law.

Blessed are you…blessed are we.   All is complete.