Every additional
Beatitude deepens the breach between the disciples and the people. The
disciples’ call becomes more and more visible. Those who mourn are those who
are prepared to renounce and live without everything the world calls happiness
and peace. They are those who cannot be brought into accord with the
world, who cannot conform to the world. They mourn over the world, its guilt,
its fate, and its happiness…. No one understands people better than Jesus’
community. No one loves people more than Jesus’ disciples․that is why they stand apart, why they mourn; it is meaningful and
lovely that Luther translates the Greek word for what is blessed with “to bear
suffering.” The important part is the bearing. The community of disciples does
not shake off suffering, as if they had nothing to do with it. Instead they
bear it. In doing so, they give witness to their connection with the people
around them. At the same time this indicates that they do not arbitrarily seek
suffering, that they do not withdraw into willful contempt for the world.
Instead, they bear what is laid upon them and what happens to them in
discipleship for the sake of Jesus Christ. Finally, disciples will not be
weakened by suffering, worn down, and embittered until they are broken. Instead,
they bear suffering, by the power of him who supports them. The disciples bear
the suffering laid on them only by the power of him who bears all suffering on
the cross. As bearers of suffering, they stand in communion with the Crucified.
They stand as strangers in the power of him who was so alien to the world that
it crucified him.
“Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
Questions to Ponder
·
Practically speaking,
what does it mean to “mourn over the world”?
·
How can a “community of
disciples” bear suffering in a way that is healthy and redemptive?
·
How can individual
Christians and communities of faith not be conformed to the world and yet not hold
the world in contempt?
·
As Christians bear
suffering for the sake of the world, how do they engage “the power of him who
bears all suffering on the cross”?
Psalm Fragment
You have turned my
mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Psalm 30:11-12
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Psalm 30:11-12
Journal Reflections
·
List the times when you
have mourned “over the world.”
·
Reflect on your
experience of such mourning. What was it like? What did you do? How did you
feel? What resources helped you live through your mourning?
·
Have you ever had to
bear suffering because of your Christian faith? Write about the experience.
What did you learn from the experience?
Intercessions
Pray for world, “its
guilt, its fate, and its happiness.” Pray for those who suffer from the world’s
injustice, that they may find justice. Pray for the unjust, that they might
experience repentance, find forgiveness, be filled with compassion, and begin
to do justice.
Prayer for Today
Lord Jesus, give me such
compassion and love for our hurting world that I might truly mourn for all who
suffer in any way.
40-Day Journey with
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007 Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.
