Matthew 5:1-12
Father Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest who founded and runs Homeboy Industries, an LA based Gang intervention and rehabilitation center. He goes around the world to speak about his work and what he has learned during his many decades of running this ministry. In his book, Tattoos of the Heart he writes this:
Scripture scholars contend that the original language of the Beatitudes should not be rendered as "Blessed are the single-hearted" or "Blessed are the peacemakers" or "Blessed are those who struggle for justice." Greater precision in translation would say, "You're in the right place if...you are single-hearted or work for peace." The Beatitudes is not a spirituality, after all. It's a geography. It tells us where to stand.
Imagine that. To all those that heard Jesus speak on the side of the mountain that day—those that had come a long way seeking hope, those who were mourning, those that didn’t have enough money to buy food—the word rolls back to them “You’re in the right place.” Consider how that felt – “you’re in the right place,” the way a child might feel upon finding their way home. “You’re where you need to be.”
Jesus is telling us where we should be. Where to stand. When we are poor in spirit, meek, merciful or seeking the righteousness of the Lord, we are in the right place.
What if we heard the beatitudes this way…
You’re in the right place if you can stand before coffins and graves and cry, weeping for those now beyond your sight, for you will feel the arm of God around your shoulders.
You’re in the right place if you can stand behind and beneath others and let them go first and receive the best of everything, for you have much coming to you in the end.
You’re in the right place if you hunger and thirst for what is right, if justice brings you alive and injustice moves you to action, for you, someday, will be satisfied.
You’re in the right place if you speak words of mercy instead of aggression and accusation, for mercy will find its way back to you and make its home in you.
You’re in the right place if your words and actions are pure love, for you will see God in your own reflection.
Where is God calling you to stand today?
Listen:
He is Among Us (The least of these) –The Porter’s Gate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwEk3_VKR18
For Reflection:
- Learn more about Homeboy Industries here: https://homeboyindustries.org/our-story/about-homeboy/
- Listen to an interview with Greg Boyle on the podcast On Being with Krista Tippett: https://onbeing.org/programs/greg-boyle-the-calling-of-delight-gangs-service-and-kinship/
Prayer
Open my eyes today to see You surrounding me with your Presence. Help me stand with others so that they might see Your love through me. Amen.
Boyle, Greg. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion (Free Press, New York, NY: 2011) pg. 75
Givens, Steve. Givens Creative. http://givenscreative.com/2015/07/you%e2%80%99re-in-the-right-place-if%e2%80%a6/ Date visited: Dec. 26, 2022.
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