Today is a very special day, it's sermon on the mount day :)
Today's scripture is Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those that mourn”
This scripture is found in Matthew 5:1-12, in what is known as the sermon on the mount. This is in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and takes place on a mountaintop in ancient Judea. Which is why it is known as 'the sermon on the mount’. He begins preaching about a variety of things over the next two chapters, all of which become the Hallmark verses and morals and ideals that we know today. These include do not become angry, don't lust after a woman who isn't your wife, don't divorce your spouse, do not worry, do unto others as you would have others do to you, do not judge, and the Lords prayer.
Most importantly, he begins his sermon with what is now known as “the beattitudes”. The “beattitudes” is a set of behavioral traits that Jesus finds Holy, and God declares those who have them blessed, and only after a persons heart contains these characteristics, do the following teachings in Matthew 6 and 7 bear the most fruit.
Matthew 5:1-12 ESV
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
As we see above, there are a lot of blessed characteristics. But why is this?
In Psalms and Proverbs we read that those who keep the commands of the Lord are finding the path to life and will keep their ways pure by doing so. While at the same time, these commands seem to be both common sense, and the way the Universe God created works.
For example, if we read: blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted, this seems to be universally true.
In the video above we see two parents, mourn the loss of their child. Their friends come to visit them, and comfort them.
If someone was on the street, clearly mourning and crying, wouldn't someone eventually stop to talk to them and try to comfort them? Of your son or daughter has a pet and it dies, though they wail and cry, don't you comfort them?
As human beings, we inherently feel compassion for those who mourn, or cry. Something deep inside you wants to love and be loved by others, especially in a time of sorrow. Just as a parent comforts their child, so we want to comfort those who we care about. Sometimes, that's the people we don't know.
Sometimes, as we will read below it's the elderly, who have nobody to comfort them, other than a stranger
Credit for the following story goes to storycorps.org
When patients are near death, and don't have loved ones to be with them, David Wynn and Carolyn Lyon rush to the hospital.
"They have no one for various reasons, you know, they've outlived family, they've never married," Lyon says.
For about six years, Lyon has been comforting patients in their final hours at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif.; for Wynn, it's been about nine years.
"For some reason I always wonder about the person's mother," David Wynn says. "She saw him first, and I saw him last. It was her and me that are the bookends of this person's life. So each time that I leave a patient who has died, there is this element of sadness."
But this kind of work also has its rewards. Wynn remembers one man who was estranged from his family.
"I was sitting there with him and I heard somebody at the door. Turns out it's his son," Wynn says. "And he, I guess, felt a little bit uncomfortable, and so he asked me to stay."
Then, the patient's daughter came in. "These are people who hadn't seen each other in maybe 10 or 20 years," Wynn says.
While the family members exchanged apologies, Wynn recalls the daughter saying, "I don't even know why I was angry at you, I don't even remember."
"And they said, 'We're going to try to be a family again,' " Wynn says.
"You know, we talk about the last senses to go would be the sense of touch and hearing," Wynn says. "And I hope that there was enough left of the dad that he had some sense that this bad situation had been healed through his death."
Wynn says he felt honored, simply to witness that reconciliation, at the end of the man's life.
Audio produced for Morning Edition by Liyna Anwar.
StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.
https://www.npr.org/2017/11/24/565948727/they-comfort-strangers-so-no-one-dies-alone
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful day. :)
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and may you be comforted when you mourn. :)