Beauty: The Depressed who Mourn and Grieve

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  (Matt. 5:4)

Blessed are the depressed who mourn and grieve,

for they create space to encounter comfort from another.  (Brian Zahnd paraphrase)

As with the first beatitude, this is an announcement, not a command. Brian Zahnd says that it is "through the work of grief that we carve depth into our souls and create space to be filled with comfort from another...grief is...a work to be attended to. In a simple-minded, paper-thin, pseudo-Christian culture where banal happiness seems to be the highest goal, we don't want to attend to the work of grief...But this has consequences. In such a state the soul can never know true comfort and joy; it can only be anesthetized with entertainment...

"Jesus seems to be saying that it is those who have given up being comfortably numb through shallow contentment and have instead engaged in the real work of grief - for there is much in this world to grieve over - who are the ones who will encounter the deep comfort of the kingdom of God."

The author goes on to point out that the American church has taken its cues from the superpower culture that was founded in part on the idea that happiness is our inalienable right, and consequently we as God's people in this country don't know how to grieve and lament nor how to make space for people who are grieving.

"Because we are uncomfortable with sorrow, we passively enforce a kind of mandated happiness in our churches. Instead of weeping with those who weep, we want everybody to cheer up. And we want them to cheer up for our sake...What we should do instead is join them in their sorrow and assist them in their grief. When human beings suffer tragedy and profound loss, there is a certain amount of grieving that is required. But in the deep mystery of human inner-connectivity, the work of grieving does not have to be done alone. When we choose to bear the burden of sorrow with others, it really does lighten the load for the suffering..."

This section ends with Zahnd challenging us to allow space in our gatherings for those who are mourning and grieving without pressuring them to "get over it" or to "cheer up". In making this provision for them they can, in time, encounter the comfort of hope that is part of God's kingdom; this is part of being a "shelter from the storm", the Jesus-shaped beauty that saves the world.

Next is the third Beatitude: "Blessed are the quiet and content, the humble and unassuming, the gentle and trusting who are not grasping and clutching, for God will personally guarantee their share when heaven and earth become one."