The third Beatitude is: Blessed are they who mourn; for they shall be comforted.
This attitude (that of grief) is one of recognizing what really matters in life. For in grief we come to recognize our sin, which leads to repentance; and we learn to recognize the sufferings of others, which leads to compassion. In this way, we follow Christ who identified himself with a sinful and suffering world. This led Jesus to "mourn" over the spiritual condition of Israel, the root cause of her troubles: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused!" (Matthew 23:37)
Such grief leads to prudent action: Prudence is the grace to know what to do in a given situation. Confronted by sinners, for example, Jesus often showed compassion; yet when the situation demanded it, he was ruthless. And so Jesus, "making a whip out of some cord, drove the money-changers and the people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons out of the Temple saying, 'Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father's house into a market'" (John 2:16).
In this way, those who mourn and so act rightly, will be comforted.
"When I suffer a lot or have to go through difficult and painful things, instead of looking sorry for myself, I smile. At first I did not succeed very well, but now I'm so happy that it has become a habit with me."
With such simplicity did Terese of the Child Jesus become a saint. She lived just 24 years, hidden in a Carmelite convent. But her "little way" of doing even the smallest thing with love has helped millions to come close to God. Her "little way" is no "easy way," however. It means facing the daily difficulties head on, and beating them with a smile. We are to be like the commuter who always greeted
the train conductor with a friendliness and pleasantness which was only
matched by rudeness and unpleasantness. When asked why he was polite when
the conductor was so unfriendly in return, he replied, "Because I don't want him to decide how I'm going
to act."
Who, then does decide how I¹m going to act? Some people, of course grow old without ever growing up. Like the child, they change dramatically from smiles to whimpers, and back to smiles again. Their actions are determined by outside forces. But for mature Christians there is a deeper inner resource who determines how they act. This is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. He overcomes our mourning. As Jesus told Saint Paul, who pleaded three times for the removal of a "thorn in the flesh," "My grace is enough for you; my power is at its best in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
And in the life of Saint Paul we see the result of the comfort he received from God. With unparalleled success he was able to win people to Christ. He was able to choose just the right words and adopt Just the right manner to win people over. We can only describe this as prudence: a value of Christ's law about which most of us seldom think. Like each of us, Paul had to deal with all kinds of different people in a variety of sensitive situations. He made no pretense of the fact that he adapted his way of acting to his audience: "I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost" (1 Corinthians 9:22). His knowledge of human nature made him realize that people couldn't be changed overnight. But his knowledge of God's power made him realize that people could be drawn from their false attitudes to God's attitudes if he worked patiently and prudently.
We do not win people to Christ, in other words, by silence. But, equally, we do not approach people like a bull in a china shop, insensitive to their real needs. Prudence is that essential value of Christ's law by which we learn to distinguish. It is a gift of God. And its sign is the winning smile.
Supplementary Material
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1878-1907
What is Christian Morality?
Søren Kierkegaard described the three Stages of Life's Way:
The aesthetic stage is self-centered
The moral growth process begins with the aesthetic stage. During this stage we live largely under the influence of our senses and our emotions. Our main concern is with our own enjoyment and our own concrete needs.
At this stage we are basically selfish. We want to be free to do whatever we want. We don't realize it, but we are anything but free. We are slaves to our passions and prejudices. At the aesthetic stage we view law (moral teachings) in an impersonal way -- as a restriction to our freedom. We view sin (moral failure) in an impersonal way -- as a violation of a restriction. It is breaking a law, nothing more.
Kierkegaard said that as long as we remain at this stage, we are condemned to unhappiness. As long as we take a selfish approach to life, we are doomed never to find peace.
We can resolve this frustrating situation only by moving to a more responsible level of human behavior.
The ethical stage is other- centered
We progress to the ethical stage when we decide to break our of our self-centered world and relate to other people. We do this by assuming social obligations, such as friendships and commitments.
By assuming these social responsibilities, we take a giant stride toward personal freedom.
Kierkegaard held that we can become free only by abandoning our self-centered existence and relating responsibly to others.
At this stage we view law (moral teaching) in a personal way -- as a guide to personal growth. At this stage we also view sin (moral failure) in a personal way -- as infidelity to personal growth. Sin is living irresponsibly.
The religious stage is God-centered
We progress to this stage when we discover our personal relationship with God. This discovery also leads us to a personal awareness of our true identity (we are God's children) and our true destiny (we are called to unity with God.)
At this stage we also discover truth Incarnate: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. We discover why Jesus came to live among us. He came to save us, for without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). He came to do more. He came to communicate to us the fullness of eternal life (Jn 14:10; 6:51)
Once we progress to this stage, we become personally and spiritually mature. We become happily and inescapably attached to Jesus Christ. At this stage we discover the true relationship between law and love. They are two sides of the same coin. Jesus himself said, "Whoever loves me will keep my word... whoever does not love me, does not keep my words." (Jn 14:23-24)
At this stage we view law (moral teaching) in an interpersonal way -- (as an invitation to love God.) We also view sin (moral failure) in an interpersonal way. It is a refusal to love. It is saying no to God.
Quiz
Read the chapter indicated an answer each question with the best answer you can find in the text.
56-1. The grief we experience in recognizing our sin leads to:____________.
56-2. Recognizing the sufferings of others with pity is called:___________.
56-3. Who said: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, How often have I longed to gather by our children as a hen gathers her chicks?" ______________________
56-4. The grace to know what to do in a given situation is called:_________.
56-5. What saint who died at 24 is known for teaching her 'little way' of doing even the smallest things with love? _______________________
56-6. Facing daily difficulties and suffering head on, with cheerfulness and acceptance, is called a. the Path of Holiness
b. the Little Way
c. the Station of the Cross
d. Impudence
56-7. Meeting rudeness and unpleasantness with friendliness and a smile means that we decide how we are going to act instead of the other. True or False? ______________
56-8. Who pleaded 3 times for the removal of a thorn in the flesh & was told =that God's grace was enough for him? ______________________
56-9. St. Paul was known for his steadfastness and obstinacy, unwilling to adapt his way of acting to his audience. True or False? ________
56-10.If prudence helps us distinguish how best to approach people, is a gift of God, what does this chapter call "its sign"? ________________
Notebook
Vocabulary
Compassion = sensing another's problems
Prudence = the grace to know what to do in a given situation.
Daily Prayer
Lent
Week 3
RHB 3/15/04