Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Jesus said: Blessed are pure in heart, for they will see God.

I've discovered that if I want to be like God, I can't avoid other people's pain. I can't even just tolerate it - I have to engage with them in it. It take's a lot work and isn't natural for me.

Henri Nouwen wrote:

Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.

In no way do I think I'm "pure in heart" - but I know that previously my heart was often closed to others. I wasn't willing - or seemingly able - to empathize and enter into another person's misery. After going through my own anguish and seeing others engage with me, I think I'm at least a bit more open. I hope I have the courage to continue on.

I had somehow convinced myself that an antiseptic, intellectual, moral faith was acceptable to God. I wanted to be strong with the weak, encourage those who mourn, and tell those in pain that better things would come - and I felt righteous in now what know to be disobedience and ignorance.

Jesus said:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

God - help me.