“Behind every cloud there is a silver lining”. This well-known saying keeps repeating itself in my mind as I reflect on this week’s Gospel passage. It seems like each one of the eight beatitudes starts with a cloud and ends with the silver lining; we move from pain to ecstasy, from sorrow to joy, from sacrifice to success.

I then look around in life to see if this is true. I ponder on the life of our heroes and those we consider as success stories. I know, for example, that the Soca Warriors were able to attain their goal of representing the country in the World Cup because of their many sacrifices, their countless hours of hard practice.

They knew that they were doing something good for their country and they played to their full potential. They have fulfilled the words: Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.

I reflect on the life of Fr Gerry Pantin and review the work being done through Servol, and I think of similar work being done by organisations like the St Vincent de Paul and other NGOs and I say: How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I follow the journey of our present pope Benedict XVI and read where some professors of the La Sapienza University, a place that preaches freedom of speech, protested against his visit and I said to myself: Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus seems to be telling us in these teachings that if we want to enjoy the kingdom of heaven we have to challenge the status quo. Each one of the beatitudes goes against what we would normally consider good advice.

When we are seeking a job our focus is usually on the money we can gain. Nowadays we do not talk of any “noble profession” in this world where success is measured by material wealth. We are usually praised and get promotion in a business if we can bring in a lot of money.

It is in this atmosphere that Jesus’ words ring out to us, Happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Our thinking must be such that material wealth must not be the focus.

This does not seem to make much sense to us when we know that our main aim in life is to make as much money as possible so that we can assure ourselves and our family a happy life.

Reflecting more deeply on life however, we come upon those who are brave enough to take Jesus’ teaching seriously and we see what their experience is.

We have examples of the few who focus on people more than money, who forego material wealth for building community spirit, building relationships, loving their neighbour as themselves and this is where they have attained their happiness.

We think of people like our parents who have made great sacrifices to make sure that we have a happy life. We think of those teachers and friends who will go the extra mile to help us out of a difficult experience. They shall have the earth for their heritage.

If we wish to follow Christ we have to be brave and live in faith ready to accept hardship and sacrifices, pain and sorrow, for we know that ours is the kingdom of heaven.

You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way
You shall speak your words to foreign men and they will understand
You shall see the face of God and live…
 
Lord, we thank you for the messages given through the beatitudes. We are especially grateful to you for the examples given by those who have chosen to follow your advice, people like Fr Gerry Pantin, our parents, friends and many others who have given their lives in the service of their neighbour. We know that theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We ask your forgiveness for the many times we were not courageous enough to do what we know is right, for those times we shied away from challenging the status quo though we knew that it was going against what is right. We gave in to the ways of the world and so ironically, we did not have the earth for our heritage.

We ask you to send among us brothers and sisters brave enough to be peacemakers, friends and neighbours who hunger and thirst for what is right, acquaintances who are merciful.

May they inspire us through their work so that together we shall rejoice and be glad, for our reward will be great in heaven. Amen.

Gospel Meditations for February are by Felix Edinborough a parishioner of St Anthony’s, Petit Valley.