I last visited Israel in 1994 as part of a team of Citizen Diplomats destined to share an adult education program with those seeking a better life through self-actualization, we toured both sacred and secular sites.
 
One afternoon, we visited the Korazim Plateau, the spot where Jesus, was reported by his disciples Matthew 5:3-12  and Luke 6:20-23 to have delivered The Sermon on the Mount, or as others have called it, The Beatitudes.

For those who are unfamiliar with them, The Beatitudes are eight simple statements intended as the guide to living a life that aligns subscribers with the kingdom of heaven. Named from the initial words “blessed are” in the Latin, The Beatitudes describe the blessedness, or qualities, according to Jesus, of those who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a suggested code of conduct.

Jesus, outlined during this sermon, that those who are: meek, mourn for the dead, pure in heart, merciful, hungry for truth, and seek to create peaceful outcomes, are both blessed and empowered to know loving Source. And, as with most words of wisdom they can be applied to current interpretation.

At VAST we believe that our daily choices create the world we share and have a dramatic impact on all life, here and beyond.

As above, so below.

What I do matters.
 
For these reasons, I am grateful for the vision of the Beatitudes as it accentuates the power and profound impact our daily choices have on the present and future quality of life and love we each and all experience as heaven.

Through this talk Jesus extoled a value system, a way of being he admired, a level of human behavior, he respected and shared with followers as important to know and practice. Some theologians and scholars interpret the kingdom as beyond this life, others include our shared earth experience as an example of the Heaven we seek. From where I sit, both can each be applied to improving your life today.

This talk resonates in current time for embedded in this sermon Jesus shared his most powerful message as a teacher and sacred presence.

  He said that the current “have-nots” (meek = reverent, peaceful, gentle, patient, peaceable, unassuming) of the world command unseen support for their kindness and have a lot more going on for them than they realize. They have the unseen support and power of Goodness with them. Perhaps that is why Lady Macbeth disparaged her husband and saw his compassion as a weakness when stating that he is “too full o th’ milk of human kindness”. Obviously if we listen to Jesus’ teachings, she was wrong.

The Beatitudes encourages the least powerful among us with a sagacious confidence that gentle, kindhearted people do indeed possess great power, even in hard times, because our choices have consequences much greater than we may presently see or understand. Perhaps this is a reference to the Quantum field. Those humans who choose to live this way are blessed for modeling the honorable qualities of being meek, righteous, merciful, pure, and peacemaking. His words point to the understanding that how we show up and treat one another creates the experience of heaven both in the seen and unseen realms.

The choice of being a peacemaker reside in our hearts. Peace within our hearts creates peaceful choices and greater peace in the world. Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the dedicated non-violent resolution of it. I am grateful for this ancient reminder of creating a more peaceful world through my and your daily choices.

“Normal day let me be aware of the treasure you are” – Mary Jean Irion

If you are interested in expanding peace on earth this afternoon, here is your next opportunity to create greater peace within and enjoy our Simple Steps to creating Peace on Earth this Afternoon. You are that powerful and precious.