Happy Monday

With memories still salivating about a recent meatloaf and its gift of meatloaf sandwiches, Saturday we prepared, and yesterday after church we baked and enjoyed for Sunday Dinner, a meatloaf, a perennial favorite in these parts. So, my anticipation for breakfast this morning was a meatloaf sandwich, whole wheat bread, mayonnaise. 

Thinking, though, about my life's mission these days, to stay out of the hospital, as I opened the fridge for my sandwich ingredients, I spied a carton of yogurt, which triggered the thought that I googled: which is a better breakfast for a 91 year old white male with CHF, yogurt or a meatloaf sandwich? The answer is quite disappointing, but I heeded it. The meatloaf sandwich will have to wait for noon dinner. 

The yogurt is tasty, though, with a heaping spoonful of Manuka honey from New Zealand added and stirred into it. 

Try it, Sam I Am, you may like it, Sam I Am.

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This coming Sunday, November 1st, is All Saints Day, one of the seven principal feasts (celebrations) of the church year. The gospel reading is The Beatitudes from Jesus' sermon on the mount:

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

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My mother was raised Southern Baptist, in a home with deep Bible devotion, so my life as a small boy was blessed with memory verses to learn, including the Beatitudes - - which also was one of the memorize and recite verses on the large poster board in our classrooms at Cove School those growing up years.

Luke's version (Luke chapter 6, sermon on the plain) is similar but as well as blessings, has woes, or curses. That the Beatitudes concept is in both Matthew and Luke but not Mark suggests to some NT scholars, as well as those of us who admire them, that the evangelists' source was the hypothetical sayings gospel Q. 

An aside thought this morning.

But Matthew. The evangelists NT Greek word for "blessed" is μακάριοι transliterated "makarioi," which may not mean what one assumes. It does not mean "holy" or "sanctified" like being made a saint (the NT Greek word for that would be more like "hagios"). Makarioi means happy, fortunate, well-off. Indeed, instead of "blessed," most modern Bible translations into English use "happy," which can be a little jolting. 

Think of "happy" as being content, satisfied, in a good place. For comparison, picking up the "Woes" from Luke's version, the NT Greek word for "woe" is οὐαί (transliterated “ouai”), which conveys an intense exclamation of grief, dread, or denunciation, a sense of moral outrage; as opposed to "makaroi," not a place one wishes to be. 

"Blessed" then, in English, is at least ambiguous. "Happy are the poor in spirit," for example; but we would not open Sunday liturgy with the exclamation, "Happy is God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," because "Blessed" in that context does indeed mean holy or sanctified. 

Why have I wandered down this path? It's my nature: take it or leave it, nomesane?

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Anyway, yogurt with honey, All Saints Day with blessings.

RSF&PTL

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I'm putting a car up there again as part of my ongoing demonstration to myself that very few readers click my +Time blogpost if they think it's about cars. This one another favorite, a 1941, 42, 46, 47 Dodge half-ton pickup truck.

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