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Matthew in Slow Motion 35

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4
μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται

This is parallel to Luke’s

Blessed are you who weep now,
   for you will laugh.

Luke 6:21a
μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν ὅτι γελάσετε

“those who mourn (or grieve)” is a present active participle (nominative plural) of πενθέω (pentheō) to mourn or lament – from the root πένθος (penthos) mourning.

Jesus himself gives examples of grieving, of mourning, weeping at the tomb of Lazarus and over Jerusalem.

There is, slowly, a rediscovery of the place of lament. The regular/daily praying of the psalms can provide the emotional and spiritual alphabet – so many of them are laments. The book of Lamentations laments over the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus laments as his death draws near. Lament turns to God, brings our grief, seeks help, and trusts God in the midst of brokenness. Work your way through the psalms and discover how many of them are laments [try Psalm 88]. The whole creation is groaning in labour pains. We are right to grieve about the pandemic, unemployment, economic uncertainty, death, relationship issues, violence, poverty, inequality, injustice, loneliness, abuse, addiction,…

Is the reward in the present? Or is the reward of mourning in the future? Is God rewarding mourning, or is the reward intrinsic to mourning?

As this year the Sunday Gospel reading focus is on St Matthew’s Gospel, I thought I’d start some of my personal study and Lectio Divina with that Gospel. [NB. I am using ‘Matthew’ as a convenient term for the author of the first Gospel in the order of the Christian canon].

This is the thirty-fifth post in a series – you can begin here:
Matthew in Slow Motion 1
Matthew in Slow Motion 2
Matthew in Slow Motion 3
Matthew in Slow Motion 4
Matthew in Slow Motion 5
Matthew in Slow Motion 6
Matthew in Slow Motion 7
Matthew in Slow Motion 8
Matthew in Slow Motion 9
Matthew in Slow Motion 10
Matthew in Slow Motion 11
Matthew in Slow Motion 12
Matthew in Slow Motion 13
Matthew in Slow Motion 14
Matthew in Slow Motion 15
Matthew in Slow Motion 16
Matthew in Slow Motion 17
Matthew in Slow Motion 18
Matthew in Slow Motion 19
Matthew in Slow Motion 20
Matthew in Slow Motion 21
Matthew in Slow Motion 22
Matthew in Slow Motion 23
Matthew in Slow Motion 24
Matthew in Slow Motion 25
Matthew in Slow Motion 26
Matthew in Slow Motion 27
Matthew in Slow Motion 28
Matthew in Slow Motion 29
Matthew in Slow Motion 30
Matthew in Slow Motion 31
Matthew in Slow Motion 32
Matthew in Slow Motion 33
Matthew in Slow Motion 34

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