Backwards Beatitudes
flipping Jesus' subversive blessings backwards
A few months ago, I sat with, then rewrote Jesus’ beatitudes, recorded in Matthew. I forgot about it until recently, when I found it here in my Substack drafts.
Yesterday, I decided to sit with these words and Jesus’ actual words, and invite the Holy Spirit into my reflection. Reading Jesus’ words with our national reality of on-going dehumanization, escalating human rights violations, and communal heartbreak in mind, made me angry. So I listened to my anger, then turned towards lament.
I lament the backwards beatitudes that are deeply embedded in me, in the Church, and in our nation.
If it would be helpful for you as well, I invite you to join me in reflecting on the words below, or to sit with Jesus’ words and heart in Matthew 5:3-11 . I also invite you to make space for whatever comes up for you as you do. If it’s anger, like me, I invite you to listen to her and express your own lament as needed. 💛
Backwards Beatitudes
Blessed are those who are super spiritual, completely certain, and rich in their own holy house… for they have so much they don’t even need the Kingdom of Heaven!
Blessed are those who cheerfully bypass their pain with praise….for they do not long to be comforted by the Comforter.
Blessed are those who are full with their own good deeds and treat justice and righteousness like optional electives in the course of life…their own power and privilege protect them!
Blessed are those who show no mercy… for they know they aren’t weak enough to need any themselves!
Blessed are those whose hearts are duplicitous and manipulative… for they will never have to ever see God if they don’t want to!
Blessed are those who demand and seek war… for they don’t want to be called children of the Prince of Peace!
Blessed are those who are charming and popular, no matter the cost…for they have esteem and status and are invited to all the kingdoms they want to be invited to already.
Breath prayers for welcoming every true blessing of our belovedness 🙏
inhale: Keep me tethered to my blessed belovedness in you
exhale: Help me resist grasping or chasing after any backwards beatitudes instead of you
inhale: Open me up to all that’s good, right, & true
exhale: Help me to welcome & walk in your good ways
Shalomsick with you and wishing you shalom, 🫶
Ways to help our Minnesota neighbors:
My friend Laura Fanucci lives in Minneapolis and has been sharing about ways to help on her Substack, The Holy Labor. Outside of this, Laura is an incredible human being, an author (she has a brand new book you can pre-order now, Living Easter) and everything she writes is worth your time. Subscribe to her Substack here:
There’s are beautiful. Thank you for the reversal and prayers.
Thank you so much for this, friend. My frazzled mind can't remember if I thanked you when you first sent this to me, but the prayers and solidarity mean so much. With you. May the Jesus of backwards beatitudes stay close and spur us onward.