Christianity is in the news on a regular basis these days. Here in Texas there is increasing pressure in the legislature from Conservative Christian to legislate teaching the Bible in public schools. Elsewhere we hear more about book bannings. One of the leading candidates for President is marketing a version of the Bible. I find myself wondering what Jesus would think of the modern version of the religion and teachings named after Him. I wonder if He would even recognize it. In my own distress over the current state of Christianity, I return to the core of Jesus’ teachings — the Beatitudes — to see what light they would offer me.

In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He outlines the essence of a Christian lifestyle. It is a reference point for all of us in assessing ourselves as Christians. As with many things Jesus said, it can also be twisted to serve one’s own purpose.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God. Clearly Jesus looked with compassion on the poor as well as the marginalized and called us to do the same. Here He is calling us to also address our attachments — everything we must have. Fortune. Fame. Power. Unhealthy attachments such as drugs, alcohol, self-centered sex. Jesus calls us to free ourselves from such attachments. So does Buddha. Clearly many Political Christians exhibit considerable attachments to wealth and power.

Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Jesus, being human, mourned. When confronted with the death of His friend Lazarus, Jesus wept. And then He raised Lazarus from the dead. There is a great metaphor here. At times we are faced with dying to some part of ourselves. Perhaps we are faced with limitations through failure. Perhaps our health is challenged. Perhaps we are addicted. You might think it odd but in many recovery programs, the recovering addict has to grieve the “death” of the addict. Often we must grieve before moving on to a new chapter in our lives. Jesus also suggests here that the loss I mourn will not be magically undone. In times of loss, none of us can fix the loss. What we can offer to one another is presence and comfort.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meek is a troublesome word since it is often associated with weakness. In fact, the closest synonym for “meek” is “humble”. According the the Meriam-Webster dictionary, the opposite of meek is “egotistical” or “arrogant”. If we consider some of the modern Political Christians, the word humble does not fit. Egotistical and arrogant do. To be humble is not to be groveling. It involves having a balanced view of oneself, being able to admit to character defects while at the same time embracing ways in which we are gifted. It also includes a capacity to admit when we are wrong and to be willing to make amends.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. “Righteous” is a word that would indeed be invoked by Political Christians and they might very well point to this Beatitude to justify their actions. According to Miriam-Webster “righteous” mean to act in accord with divine or moral law. The ultimate reference point for our righteousness is the teachings of Jesus. Remember that Jesus challenged the legalism of the Judaism of His day, instead advocating a morality that was based on compassion and forgiveness. This is the righteousness to which we are called.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. To be merciful is to be kind and forgiving. We are not called to be passive or to minimize wrong-doing. But this beatitude along with the call to righteousness asks us to perhaps hate the sin but to love the sinner. Jesus, for example, never excused the behavior of the adulterous woman about to be stoned. But He did not judge her and encouraged her to change her ways.

Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God. The Catholicism of my youth unfortunately associated “purity” as having to do with sex. Purity of heart goes far beyond vigilance about lust. Jesus made it very clear that He was about more than changing one’s behavior. He advocated a change in one’s heart. This isn’t only a matter of emotions. “Purity of heart” has to do with motive and intention. If I am “pure of heart”, I don’t say one thing and do another. When my heart is pure, then my sense of God in my life is more clear. Remembering that Jesus said “The kingdom of God is within you”, when my heart is pure and my intent is to live a righteous, God-centered life, then I am seeing God.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God. Time and again Jesus challenged the use of violence to resolve issues. The call to be a peacemaker clearly involves embracing non-violence but goes beyond that. To be a peacemaker does not mean to be passive. It does mean to seek solutions, to find a path that all can agree to. A peacemaker objects to any war as a solution. This beatitude, though, calls us as well to foster inner peace. If I aspire to inner peace, I address resentments. I strive not to judge. I strive to quiet that inner chatter that can often be either fearful or aggressive. As a peacemaker, I embrace as my daily guide the Psalm “Be still and know that I am God.”

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Sadly, there are at least a few prominent Christians who claim they are being persecuted. Whether you agree with that or not, this Beatitude does not speak to the issue of fair trails, etc. It speaks to the issue not only of justice as fairness but justice as moral. Thus, a current example of persecution for justice’s sake is the attempt of the State of Texas to shut down a program here in El Paso. Annunciation House has been a program of welcome for immigrants, legal or otherwise, for over 40 years. They are currently being accused of anything from harboring terrorists to being a stash house. Annunciation House has been a beacon of social justice. Because of persecution, they may be forced to close their doors.

The closing paragraph offers clarification on the issue of persecution. Jesus is comforting those who are persecuted in His name. The beatitude then refers to those who act and challenge based on Jesus’ teachings of love and compassion. People such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Maximillian Kolbe suffered death because they challenged Naziism as decidedly un-Christian. I think of Dorothy Day or Daniel Berrigan, persons who were imprisoned because they spoke out against a warring government and in the name of peace. These and others were persecuted because they spoke out in Jesus’ name.

The Beatitudes show me the way to be a Christian. They provide me with a template to assess how I am progressing as a Christian. And they provide me with a reference point in assessing the claims of public figures who claim to be Christian. We can only hope that the Christianity of today will not forget this guidance.