Monday 5 November 2012

THE BEATITUDES 4: THE BEATITUDES FROM A DOMINICAN PERSPECTIVE

 
Fourth session in the course on the Beatitudes at Christchurch, Clarendon Park. This eight-week course is presented as part of Christians Aware's Faith Awareness programme.

Our topic this evening: "The Beatitudes from a Dominican Perspective", presented by Father Fabian Radcliffe OP (photo above) Dominican Friar at Holy Cross Priory and President of Leicester Theological Society.
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
  1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
  3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
  4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
  5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
  6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
  7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
  8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  9. Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Our speaker begins by setting the Beatitudes in the context of their delivery in the Sermon on the Mount - and how that episode in the Gospels differs from what we would consider to be a "sermon" today.

These words are delivered to those whom we might call "the wretched of the earth" (a tantalising nod, from my point of view at least, to Frantz Fanon there)- to "the mass of men", who, in the words of Henry David Thoreau, lead "lives of quiet desperation".

Father Fabian then proceeds to lead us through a brief reflection and discussion of the Beatitudes, singly and collectively, considering similarities of content and style, and how they might be differentiated or grouped together.

Nos 1-8 seem to belong to a different set to number 9.
Nos 1-8 seem more poetic, number 9 more conversational.
Nos 1-8 each has a different theme, number 9 reprises them.
Nos 1 and 8 are the only two that contain the phrase, "the kingdom of heaven"; in this sense, they "bookend" numbers 2-8.
Nos 4 and 8 contain the word "righteousness"; this allows us to consider numbers 1-4 and numbers 5-8 as two subsets.
Nos 1-4 appear to relate to more "passive" people, who are singled out and picked on because of their inaction.
Nos 5-8 appear to relate to more "active" people, who are singled out and picked on because of their action.
Nos 1-4 appear to be addressed to those who lives are ebbing away; who long for justice to be delivered to them; whose grasp on existence seems tenuous.
Nos 5-8 appear to be addressed to those who are actively striving to change the world around them and to bring justice into the world.
No 2: "those who mourn" are another class of "the poor in spirit" from number 1.
No 3: "the meek" can't stand up for themselves or for their rights; they have lost their stake in the land and cannot retrieve it by their own efforts. For "the earth" read "the land", a meaning more in keeping with the nuances of the original Hebrew meaning. We have largely lost any understanding of the Hebrew / Israelite tradition, the historical context and social milieu from which the Beatitudes arise. While it's good to be aware of the roots, we can't cling to them. We have to acknowledge roots and origins, but move on to a contemporary meaning - as long as the spirit that flows throughout it is the same. Otherwise, it is in danger of becoming an arcane, academic pursuit, without relevance - or the power to inspire - later generations who read the text and try to apply its meaning in their lives.
No. 4: People who long for justice, but are unable to play and active part in bringing it about.
No 5: "the merciful": an attitude of trust and loyalty, arising out of a mutual relationship.
No 6: Described by Father Fabian as "one of the more difficult to get right". Quite as much about vision, perception, our understanding of what is real and true. The heart, for Hebrews, was as much the seat of the rational faculty as it is of the feelings. This reference to right feeling, right thinking, leading to right action all sounds a bit Buddhist - which is very much in keeping with the Christians Aware / Faith Awareness way of things!
No 7: "Peace" is not merely the absence of conflict, of course, but the total well-being of the generality of society, that condition of harmonious community that allows all to flourish.
No 9: Father Fabian wonders if this comes from another source, something that Jesus was heard to say often - and the compilers of the Gospels added it here.

How, why and when are the poor (of any sort) "blessed"? Their condition is analogous to the Kingdom of Heaven as described in the Gospels - their blessings at one and the same time present and still to come.

The people described in the first group (1-4) are blessed by receiving the aid of those described in the second group (5-8). The people described in the second group are blessed by adding those described in the first. As the wheel turns, people from one group become members of the other. Some of the helpers become those who need help; some of those who needed help find themselves in the position of being able to help.

In our discussion toward the end of the session, reference was made to a talk given at Secular Hall here in Leicester some five years ago by the philosopher and founding figure in the Sea of Faith Network, Don Cupitt. In that talk (attended by at least two of those present this evening) he made the case for the postwar settlement of the Welfare State as the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth - the making real and practical Jesus' ethic, in ways that touched and transformed the quietly desperate lives of the wretched of the earth. Rather than attempt to justify his assertions here, I refer you to Don Cupitt's writings, probably starting with The Meaning of the West (2008).