The Beatitudes: a Community of Character
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’ Matt 5.6
How beautiful is the life our Lord would share with us, under his reign? The community of his disciples is called to show an attractive combination of virtues. That is, dispositions of heart that flow out into patterns of behaviour. We are called to be meek, refraining for overestimating ourselves or retaliating. We are called to agree with God about all that is wrong in the world, mourning the same. Yet combined with mourning and meekness there is also a beautiful righteousness, a profound longing for God’s just will to be done on earth, that we must display. This deep desire for God’s will on earth, is so powerful that it may be likened to the inner drives of bodily hunger and thirst. God’s just will, lifting up his faithful poor and acting against their oppressors, as necessarily for us as eating and drinking.
There are two errors to avoid, and a path to pursue, as we practice the virtue of righteousness.
The first error is to see righteousness in purely personal and individual terms. Avoiding misuse of alcohol or substances of addiction, being generally polite and honest. But what about Christ’s example of opposing the religious hypocrisy that enslaved the people? What of his healing on the sabbath, challenging the religious leaders for the sake of human need?
The second error is to pursue community, society, justice but do so in such a way that the accompanying virtues in the beatitudes are ignored: virtues like poverty of spirit, meekness and purity of heart.
This Sunday we renew our appetite for God’s righteous will, but in such a way that our vision is bigger than being individually nice. And, our character completed by all Christ’s beautiful virtues as explored in the beatitudes.
Reflection Questions
1. The Matildas, the Australian Women’s Soccer Team, beat the second highest ranked team in the world, Sweden, 4-0 on Saturday 12th of November 2022. A player that was interviewed afterwards spoke of the way the win was a real team effort, with many players making great contributions. Oftentimes in sport a team is successful when each player performs their particular role in the team well, playing to their position. This is a metaphor of the virtues of the kingdom. Each virtue is necessary. When each is expressed the individual Christian attains a complete character that makes them more fruitful. When a virtue is missing, this lack can be the weakness that leads to less effectiveness in witness and ministry. In other words, a complete set of virtues is needed, just like a complete soccer team, with all positions performing, is needed for success. Reread Matthew 5:3-7. What stands out to you in these first five virtues?
2. So far we have covered the first five beatitudes, which may be explained as follows:
Poverty of spirit- the practice of dependence on God
Mourning all that is wrong in the world, and in our lives
Being meek- humble in self-estimation and non-retaliatory when hurt by others
Thirsting for righteousness- greatly desiring the application of God’s just will in the world
Being merciful- meeting human need regardless of whether someone deserves help
Which of these virtues do you seem to more easily practice? Which less easily? What are the reasons why some virtues may be more difficult?
3. King Jesus laid down his life to free us from the penalty and the controlling power of selfishness. What difference does this Gospel message make to our expectations of growing in the virtues?
4. Where do you see Jesus model a thirst for righteousness? Hint Matthew 23.23-28, also see Matt 12.1-21. What attracts you about Jesus’ teaching and example when it comes to justice?
5. What are the causes of the disadvantage that you may sometimes observe in Frankston, and what could a faith community do to respond to those causes?
If you can, speak with two or three other St Luke’s members and come up with an idea to address the causes of disadvantage in some way, this Christmas. Consider putting your initiative into practice over Christmas.
6. Spend some time in prayer for God’s will to be done through:
(I) Frankston Winter Shelter 2023
(II) Our partnership with Nungalinya College in Darwin
(III) Our work to care for those suffering mental health distress
7. Why is it particularly wise to temper justice with mercy? What impact may it have on wrongdoers when they are given strict justice without any mercy at all? How might this impact society in the long term?