August 2024

What a rollercoaster we experienced through July.  We saw fellow human beings at their worst through violence in many forms.  AND we experienced people at their best. Young people in the Olympics push themselves to peaks of performance and the ensuing joy in those moments.  Despite these beautiful moments, I find it difficult to not allow the low moments usurp the better moments. In an amazing photo from the surfing competition, we see the surfer, Gabriel Medina of Brazil appearing to be floating in this air as if he is standing above the ocean with his surfboard upright behind him. This photo reminds me of the amazing things we are capable of doing, in this case, both the surfer (Gabriel Medina of Brazil) and the photographer (Jérôme Brouillet of Agence France-Presse).  One cannot view it without a sense of awe.

When Kairos gathered recently for a contemplative walk two weeks ago, during a particularly challenging news cycle, I found myself wondering how we anchor ourselves in something stable and good, something worthy of our awe.  I spent hours trying to find a quote or idea which would resonate at our gathering.  Then it hit me, our faith tradition provides us with a tremendous foundation to carry us through the ups and downs of life, the Beatitudes.  These words which open the Sermon on the Mount paint a beautiful picture of what it means to follow Jesus. They inspire awe in me.  Here is the text from the New Revised Standard Version translation (Matthew 5:1-12)

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.