The Beatitudes,
A divine gift from Jesus.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom.
You have again answered a quiet invitation,
An ancient call from within to return to the stillness of your own being.
As you settle into this space,
Allow the external world to dissolve into the background.
Let your body relax.
Your breath becomes sacred as you inhale peace.
Release all tension as you exhale.
Remove all expression from your face.
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to change.
You have already arrived.
Now with each breath,
Imagine yourself floating ever closer to the peaceful presence that always lives beneath thought,
Untouched by time,
A presence free of fear.
Here and now,
There is no goal.
Here and now,
There is only what you really are,
Without story.
Let the past dissolve.
Let all concepts fade.
Let even the idea of you unwind as you melt into an ocean of silence,
To peace.
As we rest in the quiet,
After receiving the gifts of each beatitude,
We remember these are not distant ideals.
They are true reflections of what is already within us.
Jesus,
Our elder brother,
Teacher,
And mentor,
Offers these words not as symbols of sacrifice,
But as signposts pointing home to the changeless peace of God already alive in our mind.
Through these teachings,
We recall our true inheritance.
The kingdom of God is not of this world,
But is within.
To be poor in spirit,
To be merciful,
To hunger for righteousness,
Is to uncover the radiance behind the veil.
Each beatitude becomes an invitation to choose again,
And to see with the eyes of Christ.
We remember that only what is love is real,
And in this remembrance,
We are healed.
As these truths settle into the quiet of your heart,
Remember peace is your function.
Joy is your natural state.
As we walk forward,
Let us extend only what we would receive.
Offering peace,
Offering blessing,
Offering only love,
For that is what we are.
Now,
It is time to return to our regular waking state of thoughts,
Feelings,
And actions.
To time and space.
Take a few deep breaths to help establish the waking state.