In the New Testament, Matthew 5:3-11 reads:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do not hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."
I takes serious issue with "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted". I don't want to be comforted.... I don't want to be mourning and grieving in the first place.
When a loved one has died, visitors often say things that make the grieving feel so much worse. Take for example,"Oh it must have been so hard for you to be there"; "There's a reason for everything"; or "He's in a better place now." Whenever I hear that, I want to reply with a very nasty phrase.
I believe in heaven, and I know that he's in a better place, but what about the ones who are left behind? Blessed are not the ones who mourn... Blessed are the ones in heaven.... the ones who mourn are left with feelings of emptiness, disbelief, and agony; and these feelings are sometimes impossible to overcome, no matter how hard one tries to escape from it. The hole in one's heart becomes a parasite that begins to grow, and slowly eat away at the rest of one's being.
The dead are at peace, but the living must continue on in a world that causes suffering. Honestly, people should not grieve for the dead, but for the living.
Out of Sheer Curiosity...
-
In One Hundred Years Of Solitude, the main family obviously shares the last
name of Buendia. Does it seem to anyone else that the name could represent
some...
16 years ago
4 comments:
Well, I think it's the idea that underlies the whole message. No one wants to be persectued either, but they are the ones that get the kingdom of heaven. The point is that in order to receive the merciful gift when we reach our end, we have to sacrifice on the way to getting there. All the Blessed traits are traits that associate with modest people, those who follow the "right" things in life. Those who are truly good hearted will mourn for the losses of people, as opposed to those who mourn for say, the loss of money. Yes, they are mourning, but they are mourning for the right reasons and will receive comfort, and since it's the Big Man thats speaking, I'm sure he doesn't mean just a pat on the back or "Don't worry he's up here with me now". Its a genuine reward. You will forget the mourning and be comforted meaning to find happiness.. not just be comforted and have you wanted to yell swear words back. So yes, Blessed are the ones in Heaven, but they have already outlived their modesty in life and now its the livings turn to suffer/struggle in His name in order to receive the comfort at the end.
Yikes: "eople should not grieve for the dead, but for the living." Go read Philip Larkin. He feels very similar (about the living). I think he was an atheist, though.
OOPS: "People." Not "eople." Duh.
About the hole that's like a parasite... For a while it does seem that way, like a gash in your skin, but eventually it heals over and your skin in complete again, leaving a scar as a reminder. The pang of emptiness and loss may never completely leave, but the hole will fill itself again. It just takes some time.
Little Red
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