Tag Archives: Beatitudes

Blessed is the one who reads

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St. John receives the heavenly message from an angel and then dictates it to his disciple-secretary so that others can read it —or hear it read aloud—and experience what he has seen.

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Apocalypse 1:3)

St. John tells us that whoever reads the words of the Apocalypse is “blessed.” This is the first of seven times a person or a group is pronounced “blessed” in the Apocalypse. These seven beatitudes (Rev. 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 14) are similar to the Beatitudes announced in the gospels during the Sermon on the Mount.

The term rendered as “blessed” in English is a Greek word that can mean both “happy” and “blessed by God;” it has become common to find English translations of the gospels that render the Beatitudes as “Happy are those who mourn… Happy are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness… Happy are the merciful… Happy are the poor in spirit….” This translation is true on one level: those who live in such a way do find happiness but that idea of “happiness” is probably better thought of as “joy.” “Happy” can sound flip and lighthearted, a fleeting emotion that has no roots or stability. To be “blessed by God” certainly contains the idea of joy but also has an austere edge to it: this way of life is difficult but worthwhile and demands self-sacrifice from those who practice it.

Church Slavonic also uses the word “blessed” as a way to describe those the world deems “foolish, crazy, or insane.” The fools-for-Christ (ex. 1 Cor. 4:10) are called “blessed.” The merciful, the poor in spirit, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are all crazy. Foolish. Insane. Because living like that will always arouse the animosity of “the world,” the fallen order that opposes God.

In the beginning of the Apocalypse, the “blessed” are those who read aloud the words that St. John has written. Reading aloud is a liturgical act. The text that St. John sends to the churches is to be read aloud during the celebration of the Eucharist just as the letters of the Apostle Paul were read aloud during the celebration of the Eucharist. This introduction of the Apocalypse establishes the liturgical context of the whole book. This “reading aloud”–just as the phrase, “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day,” i.e. was attending the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday–make clear that the Apocalypse is best understood as a pastoral letter and a commentary on the Eucharist itself.

The epistle to the Hebrews is the other “liturgical commentary” in the New Testament; it is interesting to note that the two texts that were most problematic in the establishment of the New Testament canon–the epistle to the Hebrews and the Apocalypse–are the two commentaries on the liturgical practice of the early Church.

“Remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom!”

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These two Russian icons from the 18th-19th centuries depict Dismas, the “Good” Thief, as he stands about to be the first to enter the newly-opened gates of Paradise. In the top image, he is carrying the cross on which Jesus was crucified which is his “passport” that proves to the angels guarding the gates that they should allow him to enter. (We also see the prophets Enoch and Elijah inside the walls of Paradise, as they are the two Old Testament figures who never died.)

In the gospel of St. Luke, one of the thieves crucified with Christ rebukes the other thief for mocking Christ: “We deserve the punishment we have received. He has done nothing to deserve this!” This penitent thief then begs Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom!” Jesus responds by promising this “good” thief that they will be together in Paradise that very day. (This episode was understood by many early Christian preachers to reverse Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, which was also understood to have happened on a Friday afternoon after Adam had become a thief by stealing the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The good thief was also praised because he admitted his fault, unlike Adam, and took responsibility for his actions.)

The penitent thief was later assigned the name Dismas in the 4th century Gospel of Nicodemus; his name “Dismas” was adapted from a Greek word meaning “sunset” or “death.” The other thief’s name is Gestas. Dismas dies shortly after Christ himself. Christ is about to descend into Hell to liberate the captives there but first sends Dismas ahead of him to Paradise. (Dismas is called a pioneer in some sermons because he was the first to enter Paradise.)

Early Christian preachers and teachers saw Dismas as one of them, a Christian, who demonstrated Christian practices, beliefs, and virtues. Dismas was a repentant sinner. Indeed, the early preachers understood Christ’s promise –“Today you will be with me in Paradise!”–as a promise made to all repentant sinners, not just Dismas. Because this promise is made to all Christians, the plea of Dismas–“Remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom!”–became a common prayer among Christians. This cry became especially popular as a prayer before receiving Holy Communion, the celebration of the Kingdom of God already present among us.

Dismas is also seen as convert and martyr–an important role model in the time when most Christians were adult converts or faced the possibility or martyrdom for their faith. Dismas on his cross, like St. Paul on the road to Damascus, had a sudden flash of insight and understood who Christ was. Dismas, unlike St. Peter, confessed his faith in Christ when it would have been much easier to stay silent. Although he was executed for his crimes rather than his faith, Dismas was understood to be a martyr because he was a witness (martyr in Greek) for the truth of Christ’s identity who showed other Christians how to suffer under torture and die for the Truth.

Eastern Christians still use the cry of Dismas–“Remember me, O Lord, when you come in your kingdom!”–not only before Holy Communion but as a refrain when singing the Beatitudes at weekday services. Every encounter with God, whether in personal or liturgical prayer or when serving the poor/hungry/sick/needy, is a chance to experience the Kingdom of God here and now. Dismas shows us all how to recognize God in unlikely or unexpected places and to jump at the opportunity to repent, to turn our lives around, in order to be with Him.

Interested in reading more about Dismas? I heartily recommend As the Bandit Will I Confess You: Luke 23:39-43 in Eary Christian Interpretation by Mark Glen Bilby.