The Blessed Ones

Part 9: Blessed... those Persecuted for Righteousness

The Beatitudes Talk 9

We have now come to our final talk in the nine-part series "The Blessed Ones". The eighth and final beatitude reads:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in Heaven! For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

To begin with, let us consider those words "against you falsely, for my sake". This means that we have progressed through all previous seven stages of the ladder and with mercy and purity of heart, we have thrived for righteousness, and as a result we have been reviled. With purity of heart, our actions can only be coming from a place of Truth, so any opposition is force of falseness.

For everything there is an equal and opposing force. Truth will be met with opposition, but it will never be victorious. As Mahatma Gandhi reflected:

"WhenI despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love havealways won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they canseem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always."

'Persecute' is a strong word. In the Cambridge dictionary, it is defined as: "to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or to annoy someone by refusing to leave them alone". The Oxford dictionary definition is: "subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs, or to harass or annoy (someone) persistently".

If we are strong in our convictions of the Light of Truth, there will be an opposing force.

The Indian Saints

For Swami Prabhavananda this situation of persecution for Truth is a fruit of turning ever more intensely to God. People to whom God is not central cannot understand the person focused on God — and therefore lash out at her. Swami Prabhavananda insists though that here too a kind of peacemaking is at stake: this advanced soul does not respond angrily to those who persecute and revile, but only with mercy and compassion. (Source: Francis X. Clooney)

Swami Sivananda refers to this last beatitude as "The Benefactors of mankind". He wrote: "Yet, such is the divine nature of these blessed saints that they are 'unable' even to resist the evil, retaliate or even protect themselves from the onslaughts of the evil-minded. The history of the world is witness to numberless persecutions in which the blessed ones have laid down their lives, in an endeavour to uphold righteousness. And, the marvel of marvels! By thus sacrificing their life to the great divine cause of righteousness, 'for His sake,' they have fulfilled their mission. The one event of self-sacrifice affects Human Mind more profoundly than all the preaching could have done."

We can call to mind many of the Peacemakers who have been killed for righteousness, including Jesus Christ himself. We also recall Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King Jnr., Diane Fossey, John Lennon, Karen Silkwood, Stephen Biko, and the many murdered aid workers and investigative journalists.

We don't need to be famous to be killed for righteousness sake. It can happen in the alleyway behind our house in the dark of night when we call out for the welfare of a distressed person; but the results will be similar. Our life and death will bear fruit for others.

The Story of Justine Damond

Justine Damond was a beautiful, 40 year old Australian meditation teacher, who had previously studied as a vet. She moved to the US and was due to marry in August. Her step-son referred to her as his best friend. She was well liked by many.