Continuing in our beatitude series, mourning is the concept for the second beatitude.
What does it really mean to mourn? Usually we think of loss, grief, hopelessness, bereavement, and other forms of sadness. However, there is more to mourning than just losing a loved one to sickness, injury, or death. There is more to mourning than overwhelming emotion due to a tragic event in life (death, divorce, loss of job, economic failure). Although, Jesus is not leaving these ideas of mourning out, he is actually calling us to more.
Basically, this beatitude is about those who mourn the sin of others and their own sinfulness. These are the ones who will recieve the ultimate comfort from God. That comfort will be here on earth and in heaven.
When was the last time you had a good cry over the sins of our world? When did you last weep for the greed of our nation? When did you last lament over the senseless deaths of every age? When was the last time you poured out your soul to god on the behalf of those who curse his name and slander others? When we can mourn over the sins of our world then we will be comforted. We will realize the poverty of life and soul. We will realize that kingdom life means anguished prayer over how the world has wronged our God.
When was the last time you wept over your own sinfulness? We mourn and we grieve over our sin and how it separates us from God. We cry out and scream for repentance. Not that we don’t have grace, but that we desire grace so much and understand our deep need that we won’t allow sin to not be felt…grieved…mourned!
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted!
-Mercer
