Reflection
Each
month we will post a reflection on this page.
January
2012
New/Old
Beatitude for Peacemakers
by
Patricia Griffin
I
recently attended a contemplative weekend retreat and heard Aramaic
translations of some of Jesus’ words. We began with “Our Father”
that translates “Abwoon
d’bwashmaya” and chanted the Aramaic words.
According
to some scholars, Aramaic was a derivative of ancient Hebrew; others
say that Aramaic itself is older and based on still more ancient
Middle Eastern roots. It served as the common language of the people
until it was replaced by a derivative tongue, Arabic, during the rise
of Islam.
Here
are some English translations from the Aramaic language on the
Beatitude for peacemakers. As you reflect on each one, notice if new
feelings or insights arise from within and unfurl hidden truths,
keeping in mind that these translations from the language Jesus spoke
may very well reflect more accurately the intended meaning.
If
you’d like to share your favorite translation and why you like it,
or would prefer to offer your own rendering, please email FranciscanVision@aol.com
and we will share your comments with our readers.
Blessed are the peacemakers for they
shall be called the children of God (KJV version)
Blessed are those who plant peace
each season; they shall be named the children of God.
Healthy are those who strike the
note that unites; they shall be remembered as rays of the One Unity.
Aligned with the One are those who
prepare the ground for all tranquil gatherings; they shall become
fountains of Livingness.
Integrated are those who joyfully
knit themselves together within; they shall be stamped with the seal
of Cosmic Identity.
Healed are those who bear the fruit
of sympathy and safety for all; they shall hasten the coming of
God’s new creation.
Resource:
Neil Douglas-Klotz: “Prayers of the Cosmos” (©1990 HarperCollins)
Patricia
Griffin is a founding member of
Franciscan
Peace
Center
. She enjoys the contemplative nature of Francis who spent 200 days a
year retreating in caves surrounding
Assisi
. A weekend contemplative retreat in a comfy environment is her
preference.
Reflection
Archives
Monthly
Reflection Guidelines
Our
goal is to provide thoughtful reflections that encourage readers to
more fully embrace the values written in
Franciscan
Peace
Center
’s Mission Statement: i.e., dignity,
compassion, reconciliation, equality, simplicity,
kinship with all creation, and a nonviolent way of life
that will bring about a peaceful global community.
Suggested
guidelines for submitted reflections:
1)
Interfaith/universal
– like viewing a world without borders
2)
Reflective
of the season or month for which you are writing
3)
Passionately
inclusive, beginning with our universal concerns for other living
things, leaving out nothing or no one
4)
Firmly
rooted in peace and justice for all
5)
Containing
no more than 200 words (the shorter the better)
6)
Submitted
by the third week of the month prior to publication
“The
act of praying or meditating is so universal that one wonders
if
the need to reach out beyond ourselves in thought and word
is
simply part f the human condition.”
~L.
Annie Foerster in Praying Out Loud: Interfaith Prayers for Public
Occasions
(Skinner
House Books,
Boston
, ©2003)
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