"We've Got A Song To Sing!"

Author, Wayne Dyer, in his book “10 Secrets to Inner Peace,” writes that one of the secrets to inner peace is: “Don’t die with your music still inside you.” Today, technology keeps all of us on our tip toes and challenges us to be digital people, especially in the area of computer hardware and software related to entertainment.  We find that an entire music collection can be downloaded on an audio digital device slightly thicker than the width of a credit card.  Upon this writing, the 6th generation of iPod was circulating.  We are now into the 8th generation of iPods (Nano).  At that time these audio devices had a high capacity for memory, were handheld, resilient to shock if dropped, could withstand vigorous movement, and could hold 20,000 songs - - which means that at 4 minutes per song,  a person can listen eight weeks straight without hearing a repeat.

God, too, has downloaded our own “song of purpose” within each of our hearts.  It takes a lifetime for each of us to discover our song and share its melody with all whom we encounter.   In the Gospel of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-12), we are presented with Jesus’ “Song of the Beatitudes.”  When Jesus preaches the Beatitudes, he is saying to each of us: Be surprised by what’s a blessing in your life.  It’s not always a blessing to be full of success or to win all the time.  In fact, we have to almost turn upside down all our notions of blessedness if we are to hear this “Good News” of Jesus.

“So to follow Jesus is a dangerous thing.  To follow Jesus is to follow the one who turns the world upside down even the political and religious worlds.  Jesus’ idea of discipleship is not about giving people answers but leading them into that space where they will long and yearn for God – for wisdom, for healing, and for transformation.  Following Jesus is a winding route that leads always and everywhere to a place where a ‘nice’ person would not go, to moments of integrity we would so much rather do without.” (Tony Gittens)

Scholars are rethinking the original Greek translation of the words, “Blessed are you. . .” and they write that possibly a better translation may be: “Walk on! Walk forth!” -  If this is true, then, the Beatitudes take on a different tone of encouragement and determination.  God cheers us on so that we might stand tall and hang in there in pursuit of justice and peace. So let us walk forth with the poor in spirit; walk forth with those who mourn.  Let us walk on as disciples with the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for nonviolence.  And let us walk on and be filled with courage and determination, and be transformed into people who will turn the political and religious worlds upside down because we, too, sing the song of peacemakers.

So  perhaps, we are much like the iPod . . . for we, too, are handheld by our God; we, too, can endure vigorous internal and external movements that shake us up so that we will not get too settled into complacency.  We, too, have a high capacity for memory, especially remembering God’s dream and purpose for us, and we are programmed to be resilient to shock through supportive prayer, compassionate friends, and purposeful pondering, through times of quieting and deep listening.

So what is the Good News for us today?
• Let us be open to the graces of this powerful Gospel reading.
• Let us, through the power of the Spirit, claim our song!
• And let us, with God’s grace, choose to become Beatitude-People who are willing to Walk On – to Walk Forth in the name of our God who inspires us and unsettles us to go the distance in the pursuit of justice and peace.