It just took a day for me to find another viewpoint on the Beatitudes. This comes via Fred Craddock, a nationally known preacher, in an article in Christian Century.
Craddock insists that the Blessed of the beatitudes should not be translated happy. The implication of these statements is not that the folks that find themselves in these situations are not happy, and not expected to be. Rather, these biblical statements point to these folks (the poor, the pure in heart, etc) as being particularly favored by God. God especially favors these folks who - and here is the critical point - these folks who the whole world assess However, this long and demanding portion of teaching begins with GRACE, God's favor for those we consider weak.
So this week begins with grace and God's favor. Not a bad beginning for the week.
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