(for they will see God)
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are those who see the best,
who refuse to judge vagrant or neighbor
without hearing their stories,
who do not claim in their hearts
to love their enemies
while training to shoot them.
Inner and outer person tango,
keeping perfect time,
even when no one is watching.
They hold the treasure
of an undivided heart
that seeks nothing less
than to love God and serve neighbor.
Their bandages have fallen off.
No cataracts obstruct.
With heart and eyes wide open
they see God.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
(for they will be called children of God)
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the poets of peace,
word artisans who craft songs for the market,
the road, and the gathering places.
Those who stride the in-between spaces
and fill them with dahlias,
who wander the ruins
scattering seeds for tomorrow.
Blessed are the poets of peace,
the seers and sayers, dreamers and doers,
lovers of syllable and sound.
Foolish as children, all of them.
Children of God.
Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted
(for theirs is the kingdom of heaven)
Matthew 5:10
The blessed gather in ordinary houses
all across China. They keep the curtains drawn.
Their ranks are rumored to be in the millions.
In Turkey the blessed disappear
without warning, leaving the children bereft.
Egyptian jails host the blessed.
The Russian blessed still worship
in ancient cathedrals,
but they keep their voices low.
Across Northern Africa, in Southeast Asia,
Afghanistan, and Iraq,
the numbers of the invisible blessed grow.
Is it joy?
Do they begin to see what they own?
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