THE BEATITUDES IV

THE BEATITUDES IV

The second beatitude seems so straightforward one would hardly think one needs to expand on it. What could be more obvious than this statement:

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

When I was a much younger man, I attended a church that to my young mind seemed full of people who were far too comfortable. There had just been a book published called The Comfortable Pew by a famous Canadian author, Pierre Berton. It was critical of many churchgoers. It said they were far too comfortable, just going to church on Sunday and sitting in their comfortable pews, their church benches. During the week they didn't seem to do the kinds of things that The Bible tells us Jesus the Christ did for the sick, the poor and the mourning when he had been on earth, yet they claimed to follow him.

At Christmas time the minister in that church gave a message based on Isaiah 40:1, "Comfort, comfort my people says the Lord". Youth can be rebellious and insensitive. They have often not experienced much hardship in life yet. Furthermore, young people often seem oblivious to, unaffected by, things the way older people are. As I listened, I was getting more and more annoyed. These people need to be challenged to get out of their pews and do what Jesus did, I thought. They don't need more comfort.

Fortunately, except for my fiancée (whom I never did marry), who was with me in church and shared my views, we kept our thoughts to ourselves. You see, I wasn't thinking very hard. I didn't know these people well yet. Many of them had experienced great hardship in their lives, from which they never really escaped. They had come through the communist revolution in Russia. They had suffered at the hands of terrorists. They had lost almost everything they had. Then they hard to start out life in this country as poor people, working their way up. Yes, they had mourned. They did need comfort.

Sooner or later in life we all experience something which we are sad about, a loss or situation which causes us to mourn, for which we weep and cry. Let us be thankful that there is a place where we will be comforted when we mourn. That place should be the kingdom of heaven already on earth, the church. Let us be sensitive to others in this regard. Let us comfort when we can. If we can be comforted in church, the pew will be a welcome and comfortable place, as it should be for those that mourn. Perhaps Mr. Berton never got to see that side of the story.