Proximity To The Kingdom Of God

Jesus said: “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them! Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!” (Matthew 5:3-5. GNB)

In this passage we say, “Happy are you when you are poor. Happy are you when you mourn. Happy are you when you are meek.” And so, we go down the eight blessings of this Beatitudes or Teaching of Jesus. Now, if we look closely, we have to ask ourselves: What kind of happiness is this? How can we be happy when we are poor, mourning, or meek? This is a valid question. However, Jesus is reminding his listeners and us, the readers of this Beatitudes, that happiness is not based on our present circumstances or the type of feelings we have, but on our proximity to the kingdom of God. If we are seeking the kingdom of God like Jesus is doing, then we will be happy no matter what, even if we are poor, mourning, or meek. If we are close to the Ruler of the Universe, the King of God’s kingdom, just like Jesus is close to the Father, then we are proclaimed happy persons. Happy are those who are close to the kingdom of God.