This essay continues a sequence. Read the previous one here.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
— KJV, Matt 5:10
Is Heaven not for everybody?
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In the previous essay, we clarified a few potential misunderstandings about persecution. Only in relatively few instances are people truly persecuted for righteousness sake.
In “Blessed Are They That Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness” we discussed the fact that righteousness involves consciously constructing our daily life according to our spiritual understanding.
So, in a world that is predominantly materialistic, righteousness involves behaving differently; being a change agent. This often comes with persecution. Hence the injunction:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:
be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves.
— Matt 10:16
Deciding to stand for righteousness presupposes a willingness to take the risk of being persecuted.
It is good if we are willing to take this risk, but then we should ensure that the risk is worthwhile.
Otherwise we might become like the warrior who continually strikes at the wrong target with his sword, with the effect that the sword becomes blunted, and the warrior becomes fatigued, without achieving the goal. We must not envisage righteousness in a superficial, comfortable way.
For example: It is good if, as employees, we stand against injustice against other employees. But if the production process or the goods produced by our company are harmful to the environment or to human beings, our righteousness may be misdirected.
It is good if, as policy makers, we fight for a more equitable distribution of money between rich and poor. But if we are making no effort to redesign the money system or social structure within which our policies are designed, our righteousness may be misdirected.
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Many more examples may be cited. The point being made is that as we gird our loins for the journey of righteousness, we should direct our energies towards the root of the issues and not merely the symptoms.
To attain to this true righteousness and to understand the roots of our problems, we must seek in The Word:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
— Matt 22:37-40
If everything depends on these two commandments, then every problem we face must have arisen from a deviation from either or both of them i.e. a lack of love.
This means that, as was already discussed in “Will vs Love: A Divine Quantum Entanglement“, true righteousness is a manifestation of love.
The one who is persecuted and who, as a result, harbours bitterness towards his oppressors (i.e. one who refuses to forgive) is not truly righteous. He will not be counted as a “blessed” one.
Lest there be any misunderstanding on this point, true love has nothing to do with weakness, yielding, or laxity. We elaborated on this issue in “Real Love is Tough Love“.
Those to whom The Word is referring have matured to the point where they consciously strive for righteousness in fundamental areas of human life, are willing to take personal risks in so doing, and refuse to harbour ill-will towards those who are persecuting them.
Their inner peace comes from Above. This is a high state of spiritual maturity:
These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.
— John 16:33
Such people can be said to have overcome this material world. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Today’s Resolution:
- We pray for the strength to perceive righteousness and act accordingly, and to do so in a spirit of pure love towards all men, including those who persecute us.
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