The way it isn’t.

Here's this week's Bible reflection:

I think that we look at Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes and think, “That’s very nice.”  Then we live as if this is what Jesus said:

• Blessed are the powerful, because they get what they want.
• Blessed are the ones who get away with it, because they get what they want.
• Blessed are the assertive, because they’re not afraid to ask for what they think is coming to them.
• Blessed are the ones who talk with religious words, because actions don’t really matter that much.
• Blessed are the ones who cut the budgets, because we can’t afford to help those people.
• Blessed are the ones who talk about God, because they know who shouldn’t be accepted.
• Blessed are the fighters, because only violence or the threat of violence brings peace.
• Blessed are those who stand up for their religious freedom, unless that person doesn’t follow the right religious beliefs.
• Blessed are you when those others threaten your family values or your territories, because they'll get their comeuppance.

Sigh.