Going against the current

There was a man who ended up in the hospital. They discovered the pain he was experiencing came from eating raw salmon. It turns out he had “chickenella.” Not what he expected. Salmon behaves in a way that seems contrary to nature. They swim upstream. Not for fun, but for the sake of their offspring. They go against the current away from saltwater toward freshwater rich in oxygen, and gravel well suited to build nests. There the eggs have protection and the best conditions to sustain life. So much of the bible can be compared to going with the flow or going against the current culture to do God’s will.

Most prophets were despised for saying what God wanted and needed people to hear.  Those who were living the most comfortably, and in most cases sinfully, had the most to lose.  Zephaniah was warning of the certain judgment on the “day of the Lord.”  The Day of the Lord is both a blessing and a curse. Those who persist in sin and evil will become sacrifices.  Those who keep God’s law and the commandments will be saved.  The lowly and humble will be the remnant that find favor with God.  Paradoxically, the poor in sprit will be gathered Zion, the “holy mountain” with great joy. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the Kingdom of heaven is theirs is repeated in today’s psalm to reinforce the message of hope for communion with God and humanity to be renewed.

St. Paul’s message to the Corinthians brings same message into the New Testament.  Paul focuses on nothing, those who count for nothing, the lowly and despised.  There are three nothings that are easy to overlook, but we need to return to daily.  Without God, we can do nothing, we have nothing and are nothing.  To fill the void God shares Holy Spirit living within and among us.   Boasting about what we have embodies the deadly sin of pride, giving no credit to God who deserve all credit. 

Jesus delivers the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount in the beatitudes that we hear today.  He starts by going up a mountain.  Moses first received the Law on a mountain.  Today, Jesus positions himself there to teach the fullness of the law and add flesh to it. 

Jesus begins with a series of virtues that are blessed, the first of which is poverty of spirit, as is shared in all the readings today.  It helps to understand what is meant by blessed.  Some translate this as happy, but that falls short.  Happiness is a feeling.  Feelings are temporary and fleeting, faith is eternal.  Fortunate is a better translation, but still inadequate, that could seem like someone who is lucky.  Our faith is based on fact and God’s promises, not chance.  Joyful comes closest.  Joy endures.  It’s a gift of the spirit that goes with love and peace, present inwardly even at times of mourning, poverty, persecution, when the feeling of happiness may be absent.

All eight of the beatitudes go against the flow, like the salmon against the current.   The current here being the prevailing culture that does not recognize or even embraces sinful living.  Going back to the nothingness in Paul, poverty of spirit is the foundation of being blessed.  Moving beyond what the world has to offer, emptying oneself to make room for spiritual gifts.  As we approach Lent, St. Josemaria sums it up in three words “have nothing unnecessary.”  In other words, take what you need, share the rest generously.  That’s how we, one by one, and as a community, swim upstream, for our survival, for our offspring, and for the sake of those willing to follow.