Happy are Those Who Mourn

                                       The second beatitude proclaimed by Jesus as part of the Sermon on the Mount  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" is also part of his Gospel prophesied by Isaiah 61:2 and recorded by Matthew 5:4. God Himself is the One who is going to comfort those who mourn now by wiping away every tear from their eyes (Revelation, 7: 17). Jesus foretold the fate of his disciples in the world: " Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy" (John, 16: 20). Some people misunderstand these sayings and think that the true disciples of Jesus must be gloomy people, with sour faces and far removed from the present reality of this world.
                                      There are different kinds of sorrow in this world. Very many of our sorrows are caused by ourselves either due to ignorance or through unworthy desires. We think that we will be happy if only we had such and such things of the world or unlimited wealth to satisfy our every desire. By the time we realize that these are illusions like in mirages, it may be too late as we might have been too much caught up in our imagination and made a mess of our life. The remedy to these kinds of sorrow lies hidden within us as all of us are born to be happy as is visible in the little children ( see the post on 'children as role-models'). God does not have to intervene each time we fall into our own folly to make us happy as it is within our power to revert to our inner resources already deposited there by God.
                                     Another source of sorrow arises from the wrong human relationships, especially from the circle of our relatives and friends. The reason for failure is our tendency to possessiveness manifested in undue attachments. The solution lies in detachment from everyone and everything expressed by Jesus as leaving behind our parents, siblings, wife, husband, children etc. As a result, we shall have purified attachments to those very same people whereby not only we, but also they become really free. Where there is freedom, there is happiness and we need not expect God to set right our relationships and wipe away our tears. This kind of sorrow, therefore, can be turned into joy by using our internal resources accumulated from the Word of God and expressed externally.
                                    The third kind of sorrow arises from the ill will of other people who treat us badly because we are good, just and truthful etc.This category of people are promised by Jesus the kingdom of heaven in the last beatitude (Matthew, 5:10-12). The right response in the situation would be to rejoice and be glad because of the great reward in heaven. The Apostles of Jesus Christ leaped for joy for being counted worthy to suffer for their master. Here again, we do not wait to be comforted by God as we are already happy in the present situation.
                                    So, what is the sorrow or grief that strikes us in our daily life needing God Himself to wipe our tears away? There is a hint in the Gospel of John 16:20 about the kind of grief it is. It is that kind of grief whereby the disciples of Jesus weep and mourn while the world rejoices. Life in this world seems to be cause for grief for some and happiness for others. But, this grief will turn into joy and by implication the present happiness for some will turn into sorrow. It is not the world that is the culprit, but the worldly spirit that rules over those who seem to be happy now compared to which the disciples are grief-struck. Let us remember that two irreconcilable standards of measurement are used here. The one is worldly and temporal and the other is transcendental and eternal. Here the part of God comes into play wiping the tears away from the cheeks of the disciples of Jesus whereby they become joyful.
                                    The present happiness of those who are enslaved by the spirit of the world is shallow, apparent and temporary. The grief of the disciples hides a deep, real and permanent source of joy that will be perfected by God in His Kingdom expressed metaphorically by "wiping away the tears". The disciples of Jesus do not feel at home and are strangers in the world because their real home is the Kingdom of God. This is the source of grief for them and for them to live in their true colors, it is necessary for them to become like little children. Then they would feel completely at home when they have God as their Father as well as their Mother and without any worries. 

Meekness overcomes the World

                                        Jesus said: " Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).The blessedness envisaged here is equal to the perfect happiness we seek in life. However, many are puzzled by this promise as they do not correctly understand what is meant by meekness and the meaning of inheriting the earth. Many tend to think that a meek person should only whimper and blubber like little lambs
faced with cruelty and injustice. The Bible, however, understands it differently as power under God exercised with self-control.. In the Old Testament, Moses is described as the meekest man on earth (Numbers, 12:3). The vigorous action of Jesus in cleansing the Jerusalem Temple of the corrupt practices of religion (Mark, 11: 15-17) was not in conflict with his own description of himself as meek and lowly in heart ( Matthew, 11: 28-29). Both Moses and Jesus were able to exercise power under God with self-control and so were meek and humble. What is more, his invitation was to those who labor under heavy loads to learn from him. His promise was rest for their souls! When the body is under strain, Jesus wants us to strengthen it by means of the power of our soul that remains ignored for so long. Although every power that moves and activates our body comes from our soul, we tend to ignore it cutting off thereby the source of relief to and rejuvenation of our body.
                                       How does power under control ( meekness) operate in our actual situations of life? It implies two things: (a) We should not be busy bragging about our talents and achievements and yet without denying them should use our sober judgement (Romans, 12:3). We can be modest without denying our strengths and abilities as well as limitations. When Jesus was asked whether he was the Messiah, he pointed to his miracles without any false modesty, inflated self-image or inferiority complex. (b) The second aspect of meekness consists in our decision not to defend ourselves against false accusations. It is not that we are incapable of defending ourselves and yet we decide to sacrifice that power of self-defense that could even devastate the accuser, had we used it, for the sake of leaving our power under God's control. The exception to this rule is when we don't want to let down the people who depend on us on account of our integrity. At the same time, we shall keep in mind Psalm 37: 1-11 that says:"Do not fret because of the wicked... the meek shall inherit the land".
                                     When we look at the world of everyday living at home, workplace, society etc., reality bites and we remain perplexed. The arrogant and the self-seeking seem to win in every sphere leaving by the wayside those who refuse to join the rat-race! It is a forgotten truth that even after winning the race, they remain rats!! Here is the difference between the real joy, peace and happiness enjoyed by the meek and the others who seemingly have achieved their goal. The Universe comes to the aid of those who are pushed aside by the selfish and the vainglorious. This, again, does not mean that we should sit quietly without putting any effort to carry out our responsibilities conscientiously. Those who are hungry for power are often lonely people. Even when they think that they possess the world, in actual fact they are possessed by the world and are enslaved by it. The world does not leave its subjects in peace and security even when they have amassed wealth for many generations to come. On the contrary, the meek and the humble are never possessed by the world even when they have possessions in the world.
                                    How does the meek inherit the earth? God's power and control in the kingdom of heaven is gradually transforming the earth into a new earth (Revelation, 21:1).It will be a part of new heaven of which the meek will share abundantly already here on earth before they die. This newness is carried forward in the new life after death where our contribution through meekness and humility is multiplied and returned to us. Jesus promised a hundred fold of everything in this very life of anything sacrificed for his sake besides inheriting eternal life (Mark, 10: 28-31). Our inheriting the earth will be fulfilled in the new heaven and the new earth as our contribution now here on earth is transformed and carried forward in the new life. It does not mean that we should be deprived of the material goods that enhance our life here on earth at present. We may enjoy them under the control of God's power who is intent on building up the kingdom of heaven on earth. The arrogant and the self-seeking are strangers to this new order of things as they refuse to use power and wealth for the benefit of others and are blinded by illusions. They cannot even imagine what God has prepared for those who love Him. The meek have love, joy and peace in them, which are but a foretaste of heaven itself.
                                         

The Visible and the Invisible

                                      The constant temptation in our life is the tendency to be swayed by the visible world in opposition to the invisible one, if at all there is one! This happens because we are inclined to think that while the sciences support the visible and the material world, there is no scientific basis (understood narrowly) for the existence of the invisible world. The stronger tendency is to suppose that it is scientific to deny the existence of the invisible world, whereas the fact is that it is most illogical to deny something one has no experience of. It is like denying the existence of a white crow, because so far one has seen only black crows!
                                     The additional reason for denying the invisible and the supernatural along with belief and faith in them is the fear of superstitions that may creep into these systems of thought. Here we have the assistance of Philosophy that is specifically meant to uproot unfounded beliefs as it is the duty of Philosophy to dig into the foundations of all true knowledge going to the limits of the very being of everything. In this context, what service does Philosophy fulfill with regard to material sciences like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics etc. to consolidate their foundations? Besides the particular foundations each branch of Science have, all branches of true knowledge have a common foundation that is absolutely necessary for them to be rational. This common foundation is the openness of the mind to any possibility that may offer itself for investigation. Refusal to open up adamantly restricting one's mind only to pre-conceived ideas is the most irrational and unscientific attitude one can have. Philosophy goes into such conditions of possibility for anything to be rational thereby uprooting the basis of all sorts of superstitions.    
                                      This is why spirituality cannot avoid philosophical thinking as far as its foundations are concerned. It is the takeoff point for spiritual and theological sciences, although they are not tied down to Philosophy at all. After taking off from the firm ground of Philosophy they proceed according to their first principles, which are not answerable to Philosophy. This is so even for material sciences in their proper investigations where they can afford to forget all about Philosophy. Since these sciences cannot overrule the fundamental requirement of rationality, i.e., openness to possibilities of reality, it goes against the very rationality of these sciences, if they deny the existence of an invisible world. The most rational attitude, therefore, for them is to admit that it does not belong to the province of their sciences.
                                     Theology and Spirituality delve into the realm of the invisible world because God, being Spirit and not matter, is invisible and both Theology and Spirituality strive to connect with that invisible Reality. Since our souls are direct reflections of God Himself, they too are invisible and are accessed by Theology and Spirituality. Although Philosophers have proposed many rational proofs for the existence of God, they can only be meager, yet valuable, attempts of investigations in the direction of Truth. The experience of the invisible reality by the whole person is far better than broken glimpses attained through our intellect and senses etc. Theology and Spirituality are based on the Word of God revealed by Him transforming and transporting our entire personality into the realm of the invisible world.        
                                     There is no proper spirituality and theological investigation if the invisible world is not taken as their proper subject-matter and object of study. This is why Jesus insisted on the need to connect to what is from above as against what belongs here below to the visible Universe (John, 8: 23). If our happiness is restricted to the visible world and its offerings, it cannot be perfect and perpetual. Created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis, 1: 26), our nature thirsts for Him, Who is essentially invisible and Whose Essence is His Existence. When we are awakened and enlightened, we see that each moment without the baggage of the past and expectation of the future is a gift of God throbbing with life and joy. Come, let us enjoy this fullness!    

Detachment

                                         As we have already seen, the capacity to be detached from worldly possessions and from whatever is near and dear to us is the hallmark of poverty in spirit. Jesus made it clear by a shocking statement like leaving one's own father and mother etc. for his sake (in Mark and Matthew) and hating them (in Luke ). This has to be understood in the context of hating and denying one's own self in order to be a disciple of Jesus. This can only mean that we should be willing to get rid of whatever belongs to our lower nature in order to promote our higher nature. The latter is our real self while the former is only the apparent one. Similarly, with our parents, near and dear ones and possessions, we should be willing to discard the apparent and false reality in them for the true one. This is achieved through our detachment from undue attachment to everything including our own self so that we may be truly liberated. How do we get detached from ourselves? It is done through getting rid of our false self  in seeking name, fame, position, possessions etc at the cost of our true self that bestows our internal liberation.
                                        How is the distinction between our higher nature and lower nature meant to apply to our possessions, parents, near and dear ones etc. To understand this, let us recall the words of Jesus: "Flesh can give birth only to flesh; it is spirit that gives birth to spirit" (John, 3:6). This may be taken as the general principle to distinguish between the lower and higher natures in man pertaining to his body and soul. The preponderance of the body and its inclinations issues forth in our lower nature, whereas the higher nature is in place where the spirit, the soul in our case, rules over the body. Why should it be so? Again, let us follow the words of Jesus: "The spirit alone gives life; the flesh is of no avail; the words which I have spoken to you are both spirit and life" (John, 6, 53).
                                        The vital principle to keep in mind is that our soul that is the life-giving principle is overshadowed by our inordinate attention to the body and its accessories. We are externally related to the world through our five sense organs, which are powered by our mind. The mind is but a common name for our two internal faculties of intellect and will that are powered by our soul. In our rush to the external world through our senses, we all but forget the internal faculties and the soul that powers them. The Copernican revolution of getting back from our involvement with the world through the sense faculties to the internal source cannot be achieved without detachment from the world.
                                       Detachment is possible only if we are awake to reality and willing to be conscious of illusions for what they are. This is why all great spiritual masters call our ordinary condition of living in the world a state of sleep. Enlightenment is the means to be awakened from our sleep and it runs concurrently with our detachment from the world. Jesus cautioned his disciples to keep awake and pray constantly for the same reason. By sleep is meant the spiritual slumber leading to a kind of stupor we are in due to our deep attachment to the world. Perpetual prayer means that we should always be in the spirit of prayer and not the formal prayers we make periodically. It means that our thinking, words and actions remain in conformity with the essence of prayer that is our union with God. Both wakefulness and spirit of prayer are involved in our detachment from the world.
                                      If so, what is detachment? Is it possible to live in the world and get along with people and be gainfully employed etc.if one is busy with detachment? It is not only possible, but is the only meaningful way of living in the world for a human being, even for an ascetic or renunciate who has chosen to leave the world for the sake of spiritual life. There will be only those differences, which are dictated by the internal necessity of each state of life. Detachment consists in gaining internal freedom from the tyranny of external things whereby we become their slaves. When we are addicted to anything, we lose our freedom and are controlled by the object of our addiction. This truth is applicable not only to things we deal with, but also to people in our relationships. This is why Jesus advised his followers to leave one's father, mother, wife, children etc.to become his disciples. It does not mean that one should not take care of them; on the contrary, Jesus himself taught that it is God's commandment that everyone honor one's father, mother etc. Detachment, therefore, is not rejection, but purified attachment.   

Poverty in Spirit

                                     The Gospels seem to be negative about being rich in this world contrasting it with being rich before God (Luke 12: 21 is a graphic instance). The Gospel of Luke is generally pro-poor denouncing the rich who already have had their comfort here on earth (6:24). This line of thinking is a result of the aim and objective of Luke's Gospel that is the salvation of all, especially of the poor and the downtrodden. The privileged position of the poor in relation to the Kingdom of God is used by Luke to invite the rich to repentance here and now as is evident from the parable of Jesus about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke, 16:19-31). Ultimately, therefore, even Luke would agree that 'poor' means 'poor in spirit'.
                                       What exactly does 'poverty in spirit' mean? It is diametrically opposed to spiritual poverty that is a result of inordinate attachment to the world and its attractions resulting in a kind of numbness of spirit to higher realities. A rich person can be poor in spirit if he or she is mindfully detached from the accumulated riches in order to be alive and awake to the call of the Spirit. In the Gospels we see tax-collectors who are rich and in spiritual poverty like Levi and Zacchaeus (Luke, 5: 27; 19: 1-10). Jesus transformed them from spiritual poverty to poverty in spirit by which they were justified before God.
                                        The first beatitude in Mathew's Gospel brings out clearly the importance of poverty in spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew, 5: 3). Those, whether materially rich or poor, who strive to attach themselves to God and His Word and willing to lose everything, if need be, are the ones who are poor in spirit. They are the 'anawim' of the Old Testament who have no one else to look up to when distress and disaster strike. The 8th and last beatitude too promises kingdom of heaven to those who suffer persecution for justice' sake (verse 10) and is thus intimately connected to the first beatitude.This kind of suffering is only possible by those who are poor in spirit who are determined to be on the side of God (justice being God's essential attribute) even under very trying circumstances.
                                         Here we have to be cautious against fanatics who ignorantly sacrifice themselves being indoctrinated by those with vested interests. Avoiding unnecessary conflicts is legitimate as is seen from the example of Jesus who went into solitude when John the Baptist was beheaded (Matthew, 14: 13). When the Samaritans refused to entertain his company of disciples, Jesus rebuked them for entreating him  to destroy them with fire (Luke, 9: 52 - 56).  
                                          We have other examples of rich people besides Levi and Zacchaeus in the Gospels who were both rich materially and poor in spirit. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea were rich and very influential members of the Jewish Governing Council who were secret disciples of Jesus due to fear of the Jews. At the time of Jesus' burial, however, they surfaced boldly to fulfill the sacred duty of burial of Jesus when even his own disciples were in hiding from fear of the Jews. They had thrown to the winds their prestige, position and wealth when it most mattered because they were poor in spirit, although materially they were immensely rich. On the contrary, one of Jesus' own disciples, Judas Iscariot, was very poor materially and was in greed for money perished by betraying his own Master and Lord as he could never be poor in spirit.
                                            Jesus expressed the practical difficulty of the rich for being poor in spirit by saying that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mark, 10:25). Jesus said this after a certain rich young man approached him for finding out about obtaining eternal life. He had to go away disappointed as he was ineligible for perfection, though worthy to attain eternal life, since he could not be detached from his material possessions. He could not be poor in spirit and so was incapable to enter the kingdom of heaven, though eternal life was his as he observed all commandments (Mark,10:17-22).
                                             The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus with which he was anointed to announce the good news to the poor (Luke, 4:18). From what we have seen above, it is clear that the Good News of the Gospel is for everyone to receive which one has to be poor in spirit. We are required to give up apparent wealth (sustained by our inordinate attachments) for real wealth (acquired by detachment from pollutants) consisting in real love, joy and peace that is the same as kingdom of heaven on earth Taking into account the importance of 'Detachment' for our well-being, it shall be discussed in our next post.