St. Luke tells us that a great crowd had gathered, from all over Palestine. It must have been like the World Youth Day gatherings with the Pope: a whole stadium full of people: rich and poor, the suffering, the curious, the young, the old - all looking hopefully up at Jesus. Jesus "fixes His eyes on them", St. Luke tells us. The eyes of God looking into the eyes of regular people just like you and me. What was in Jesus heart? How glad He must have been that they were there to hear him!
And what is His message? Blessed are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep... For to you belongs the Kingdom of heaven. He tells them that He is at work in the midst of their sufferings. That He knows about them, and that they have a purpose.
Every saint learns this lesson. St. Theresa of Avila was the great reformer of Carmelite Order. She spent the last years of her life traveling extensively, as she laid the foundation for seventeen discalced Carmelite convents throughout sixteenth century Spain. On one of these trips, as she was getting out of a carriage after a long, tiring journey in the rain, she slipped and fell in a large mud puddle. Her nice clean habit was soaked and dripping with mire. Exasperated, she prayed, "Lord, why do you do these things to me when I'm only trying to help you?" Jesus answered her prayer, saying, "This is how I treat all my close friends." Teresa retorted, "Then it's no wonder you have so few!"
St. Teresa of Avila
But it's true. Jesus loves us too much to let us deceive ourselves into thinking that we can have heaven on earth. He is always trying to remind us of our true destination.
One way to help this lesson sink in, so that we can find the blessedness Jesus wants to give us, even in the midst of life's hardships, is to follow a long-standing Catholic tradition. It was a common practice in past generations, but has come into disuse. I am referring to the tradition of keeping a crucifix on your bedroom wall.
The crucifix reminds us that Jesus, the perfect man, who led the perfect life, fulfilled his mission only through suffering. It reminds us that Jesus was poor, rejected and made fun of, misunderstood, slandered, tortured with physical pain, and betrayed by those closest to Him.
These are the very things that He said would make us blessed. He lived them first. We, who are His followers, should expect the same. This is one of the reasons every Catholic Church keeps a crucifix over the altar.
We can keep a crucifix in other parts of the house too, but it's especially useful to keep it in the bedroom. The bedroom is the place of rest and reflection. It's where we start and end our days. It's removed from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. It is the right place to remind ourselves that earth is not heaven, but only the road to heaven. A crucifix on the bedroom wall can keep things in perspective - Christ's perspective.
Let us renew our commitment to Christ, to trusting Him and following His path. Let us thank Him for showing us the way to blessedness, for giving meaning to our suffering. Let us hang a crucifix on our bedroom walls.
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