Beatitudes Blog
Bare Winter Trees (Poem)
Bare Winter Trees J. Marshall Jenkins In my hurry to the mailbox this cold December morning, bare winter trees draw my gaze from rain soaked roots up to manifold etched fingers pointing - look! – to gray cloud cover sagging under light poised to burst through....
On the Road with Paul: Buechner on the Apostle with Angel Eyes
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12). If...
“The Presence of Peace” After the Wars of the Day
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). My previous post presented Frederick Buechner’s book, The Alphabet of Grace, as a companion for everyday spirituality. One of his last books, The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop,...
The Alphabet of Grace: On Experiencing God in Everyday Life
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). The blessing, to “see God,” and the virtue, purity of heart, need each other. For the desire to see God is the fire that purifies the heart. In this sense, the Beatitude says, blessed are those who...
“The Miracles at Hand”: Buechner on the Good Samaritan
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). In his sermon, "The Miracles at Hand" (The Magnificent Defeat, pp.136-144), Frederick Buechner offers a compassionate reading of Jesus' greatest parable on compassion, "The Good Samaritan" (Luke...
Vocation: Your Deep Gladness Meets the World’s Deep Hunger
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Below see Frederick Buechner’s definition of “vocation,” in Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC. The final sentence must be his most widely quoted by far, and it may...
Clay Jars and Peculiar Treasures: Saints in Buechner’s Writings
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5) But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us (2 Corinthians 4:7). Clay Jars in Scripture and in...
Two Books On Telling For Those Who Mourn
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4) Telling and Healing The first Beatitude blesses the poor in spirit who give thanks like beggars for receiving all they need from God (Matthew 5:3). In a sense, it blesses those who face reality...
Frederick Buechner: Putting Color Back in the Cheeks of Grace
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). A Tribute to Frederick BuechnerOn August 15, 2022, Frederick Buechner died at Rupert, Vermont at age 96. He wrote novels, sermon collections, pithy essays, and moving memoirs with a...
Sabbath, the Original Celebration of Freedom: Sermon on Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said,...
A Wakeful Faith: Expecting Christ Every Day
Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For...
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”: Petition As Contemplation
"Lord, teach us to pray." He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come....
As a psychotherapist and spiritual director, I bring well-honed insight and skill to these posts; yet, my vulnerability plays a more important part, for more than advice from experts, serious people of faith need resonance with fellow travelers.
In my writing and in your reading and comments, may we face our challenges in God’s compassionate presence rather than in a private dressing room where we try in vain to make ourselves presentable to God at an appointed meeting. God meets us where we are.
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