Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

[Strategery]

I’m trying to wrap my mind around this into a take-home message for myself first, and those in my bible study. I’ve read lots of different short essays on it and they are all over the map.

I’m curious how others see this passage.

Mourn - temporal things? Sin? My sins? The world’s sin?

Brokenness? The ability to weep, as Jesus did for Lazarus, in Gethsamane, or for Jerusalem?

If you’re gonna say “all the above”, that’s the easy way out.

 

[Trishie]

That’s only the first part " …they shall be comforted."

Mourning is part of life. It happens. Jesus is telling us that we are blessed by God even in our mourning. It doesn’t mean we’re lucky that we’re suffering. It means that though we are mourning we still have God’s love, God’s blessing. The good part is that it will pass and we may even later see where the blessing of new growth appear. The wheat grain mightn’t enjoy dying, but the new plant that grows from it is valuable, just as our personalor spiritual development may be.

 

[Strategery]

That’s only the first part " …they shall be comforted."

Mourning is part of life. It happens. Jesus is telling us that we are blessed by God even in our mourning. It doesn’t mean we’re lucky that we’re suffering. It means that though we are mourning we still have God’s love, God’s blessing. The good part is that it will pass and we may even later see where the blessing of new growth appear. The wheat grain mightn’t enjoy dying, but the new plant that grows from it is valuable, just as our personalor spiritual development may be.

That’s the way I thought of it until today. However, in reviewing the Church Fathers a bit, many of them see it a higher meaning than this. They discuss the mourning of sin – both one’s own and that of the world.

Here’s Aquinas’ Caneta Aurea on Matthew 5:3:

HILARY; Those that mourn, that is not loss of kindred, affronts, or losses, but who weep for past sins.

PSEUDO-

CHRYS. And they who weep for their own sins are blessed, but much more so who weep for others’ sins; so should all teachers do.

JEROME; For the mourning here meant is not for the dead by common course of nature, but for the dead in sins, and vices. Thus Samuel mourned for Saul, thus the Apostle Paul mourned for those who had not performed penance after uncleanness.

PSEUDO-

CHRYS. The comfort of mourners is the ceasing of their mourning; they then who mourn their own sins shall be consoled when they have received remittance thereof.

CHRYS. And though it were enough for such to receive pardon, yet he rests not His mercy only there, but makes them partakers of many comforts both here and hereafter. God’s mercies are always greater than our troubles.

PSEUDO-

CHRYS. But they also who mourn for others’ sins shall be comforted, inasmuch as they shall own God’s providence in that worldly generation, understanding that they who had perished were not of God, out of whose hand none can snatch. For these leaving to mourn, they shall be comforted in their own blessedness.

AUG. Otherwise; mourning is sorrow for the loss of what is dear; but those that are turned to God lose the things that they held dear in this world; and as they have now no longer any joy in such things as before they had joy in, their sorrow may not be healed till there is formed within them a love of eternal things. They shall then be comforted by the Holy Spirit, who is therefore chiefly called, The Paraclete, that is , ‘Comforter;’ so that for the loss of their temporal joys, they shall gain eternal joys.

GLOSS. Or, by mourning, two kinds of sorrow are intended; one for the miseries of this world, one for lack of heavenly things; so Caleb’s daughter asked both the upper and the lower springs. This kind of mourning none have but the poor and the meek, who as not having the world acknowledge themselves miserable, and therefore desire heaven. Suitably, therefore, consolation is promised to them that mourn, that he who has sorrow at this present may have joy hereafter. But the reward of the mourner is greater than that of the poor or the meek, for to rejoice in the kingdom is more than to have it, or to possess it; for many things we possess in sorrow.

CHRYS. We may remark that this blessing is given most simply, but with great force and emphasis; it is most simply, ‘who have grief,’ but who mourn. And indeed this command is the sum of all philosophy. For if they who mourn for the death of children or kinsfolk, throughout all that season of their sorrow, are touched with no other desires, as of money, or honor, burn not with envy, feel not wrongs, nor are open to any other vicious passion, but are solely given up to their grief; much more ought they, who mourn their own sins in such manner as they ought to mourn for them, to show this higher philosophy.

Interesting, IMO.

 

[NotWorthy]

That’s the way I thought of it until today. However, in reviewing the Church Fathers a bit, many of them see it a higher meaning than this. They discuss the mourning of sin – both one’s own and that of the world.

Here’s Aquinas’ Caneta Aurea on Matthew 5:3:

Interesting, IMO.

Bingo!!!

We should mourn our sins and those of the entire world. Even if we commit the same sin repeatedly, we can’t even have hope of repenting of this sin unless we mourn the fact that we succumb to this sin. Mourning is one of the first steps of true repentance!

 

[Strategery]

If you don’t mind me asking - how does this work for you in your life? To read the Fathers, the spiritually mature hit a point where they mourn their sins every bit as much as they would mourn their triles.

I’d love to say that I do that, but not yet. There are some sins that I suppose I mourn. But not all, and very few at anywhere remotely close to the level described by the Fathers.

If you don’t (or anyone else doesn’t) mind sharing, I’m curious. If not, I understand. Just looking for a little mentoring here.

 

[NotWorthy]

If you don’t mind me asking - how does this work for you in your life? To read the Fathers, the spiritually mature hit a point where they mourn their sins every bit as much as they would mourn their triles.

I’d love to say that I do that, but not yet. There are some sins that I suppose I mourn. But not all, and very few at anywhere remotely close to the level described by the Fathers.

If you don’t (or anyone else doesn’t) mind sharing, I’m curious. If not, I understand. Just looking for a little mentoring here.

I’ve got a recurring personal sin that I mourn tremendously. It is that proverbial thorn in my side, so to speak. And when I look at my state of holiness, that thorn is always in the picture.

As for sins of the world, I mourn the most for lack of Christian Unity. I think so many of the other sins of the world would go away if we could only return to being one Flock, with one Shepherd.

 

[Crumpy]

This seems to be a fast thread. Or, maybe, it’s just that it’s over my head.

I just looked up “mourn” in the dictionary and it says something about being in pain for some reason.

The only sense of mourning that I previously understood was mourning over the death of someone. But, yes, as it is suggested in this thread, this “mourning” is over something else.

I seemed to have picked up the idea that this “blessed” mourning or “happy” mourning in the third beatitude is over the detachment of worldly things that we encounter in the first beatitude and the detachment from ourselves in the second beatitude.

Perhaps this is referring to a necessary type of suffering of the true disciple when he/she has started to live a life unattached from those things.

 

[thistle]

I’m trying to wrap my mind around this into a take-home message for myself first, and those in my bible study. I’ve read lots of different short essays on it and they are all over the map.

I’m curious how others see this passage.

Mourn - temporal things? Sin? My sins? The world’s sin?

Brokenness? The ability to weep, as Jesus did for Lazarus, in Gethsamane, or for Jerusalem?

If you’re gonna say “all the above”, that’s the easy way out.

If you want a really good explanation/opinion then get the book called Jesus of Nazareth by our current Pope Benedict XVI. He gives a detailed commentary on all the Beatitudes, several pages on each one.

 

[Strategery]

I’ve got a recurring personal sin that I mourn tremendously. It is that proverbial thorn in my side, so to speak. And when I look at my state of holiness, that thorn is always in the picture.

As for sins of the world, I mourn the most for lack of Christian Unity. I think so many of the other sins of the world would go away if we could only return to being one Flock, with one Shepherd.

I also have a couple of personal sins that I mourn, so I’m with you there. I know I haven’t hit a point where I’ve mourned the sins in the world.

Tough line on mourning your own sins, between sorrow/repentance and unproductive introspection. You really have to be able to step outside of your flesh to walk that line in a healthy manner.