Can you bless a peacemaker?

by Chaplain Kathie
Even if you have not read the Bible by yourself, the chances are you've at least heard the Beatitudes without knowing exactly where the words came from.

Matthew 5 (King James Version);


Matthew 5
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

The most amazing people I've come across are the people with the ability to forgive. They somehow manage to overcome their pain and anger to forgive the person. Wanting revenge is a human emotion we all feel and it's powerful. It changes the way we think about the world. If that is all we focus on, we miss the point of forgiving. Read the Beatitudes again. Can you see how they connect to you and what is good for you? They are not there for the sake of the person doing the wrong. They are there for you and your own soul. Carrying anger, hatred and focusing on revenge is not good for you.

If you think that it's impossible to forgive someone for hurting you, think of Christ. He was an innocent person and we all know He did not deserve to die the way He did. He preached love, peace, compassion, generosity, mercy, forgiveness and love, but He was hated, beaten and nailed to a cross. In His dying moments, He did not ask for revenge. He asked that the people responsible for all of it to be forgiven.

Now I'm sure when you think about it, the people there watching Him die, feeling justified, suddenly felt sick to their stomachs upon hearing those words. Their conscience must have been eating away at them as they walked home. Maybe they felt they let their anger get out of hand? Maybe they thought they had just witnessed the killing of a beautiful man? Maybe, just maybe, they lived out the rest of their days trying to make up for being so wrong? We don't know what happened to the people in the crowd cheering for the death of Christ. What we do know is that Christ changed the hearts and minds of generations with His love.

Deepak Chopra said "Cursed are the Peacemakers" and in a way he's right. Seeking peace is seen by many as weakness and revenge is seen as strength. Yet seeking peace takes more courage because of the prevailing attitude. Those seeking it are cursed by those wanting revenge.

When I saw the title of this peace by Deepak, I thought it was going to be about PTSD and the men and women serving in the military. Again, one more point we miss. They are not joining with the thought of killing foremost in their minds. They join with defending the nation at the top of their priorities. As humans, many of them suffer for what they go through while trying to defend the rest of us. They go from hero to being outcasts by a society that refuses to see they are wounded.

Two thirds of the American people do not know what PTSD is. What does this say about them? It shows they are willing to cheer as they go off to risk their lives, but is also shows their attention span ends there and does not resume until they hear the word "victory" when the war ends. The jubilation soon ends, crowds forget all about it, walk away and never once acknowledging the war did not end inside for many of the warriors. We do not value the courage they have within them, allowing them to be willing to risk their lives by the same heart paying the price for being willing to lay down their lives for the sake of others. In doing so, they end up cursed among us instead of appreciated enough that we reach out our hands to them and help them heal. It's just easier to ignore them and then believe they are the ones to blame for their own suffering.

How can we walk away feeling justified instead of seeing how very wrong we have been when it comes to them as well?

India is experiencing the wound of PTSD after the attacks by terrorists. The reports have already begun to show how deeply they have been wounded emotionally. Please read this article by Deepak and then say a prayer for the suffering. Pray they overcome and find peace within themselves and then say a prayer for our own troops/veterans, that they also find peace within.

Cursed are the peacemakers


Deepak Chopra

Monday, December 8, 2008
The catastrophic and horrendous attacks in Mumbai are being labeled as India's 9/11.

Several thousand innocent civilians have already died in India as the result of bombings over the past few years. But this particular attack, striking at the most prestigious sites in the country's most prestigious city, has had a unique psychological effect. As with 9/11, a symbolic wound has been opened. The image of India as progressive and modern has been shattered.

The Mumbai tragedy threatens to become 9/11 in a darker way, however. It is the ignition point for fear and hatred of "the other." For Americans, "the other" arrived as a band of jihadist fanatics, a class of enemy we had barely paid attention to before we were attacked. In the case of Mumbai, "the other" is ready-made, since India has long hated and fought against Pakistan. Bitter recriminations and saber rattling are standard fare between the two countries. It will be gospel among the Indian population that Pakistan is totally responsible for the raids.

Making peace in such an inflamed situation is impossible. Curses fall on anyone who suggests that a sane approach needs to be taken, one that isn't rife with fear and suspicion. Here we have something small to be grateful for. The Bush administration didn't use the Mumbai attacks as an excuse to rev up fear and loathing in this country. This shows rare restraint. Such calmness could lead to productive action.

We don't need new information about the problem of Islamic terrorism. The situation has been analyzed over and over since 9/11. There's nothing more to understand. The tinderbox is there, ready to explode at any moment.
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