Blessed Are the Reviled
“Blessed are you
When men revile you and
Persecute you and
Utter all kinds of evil against you
Falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11, RSV).
When the tongue of the world
Sharpens itself against you,
Do not sharpen yours in return.
Hear what Christ says:
Blessed are you.
Not the vindicated,
Nor the admired,
Nor the proven right, but you,
Reviled, persecuted,
Spoken of falsely “on my account.”
Those words turn the wound into a window.
The slander that finds you has already
Passed through Him
Who was silent before His accusers and
Opened not His mouth.
Insult is loud.
The Spirit is quiet.
And the quiet is eternal.
Beneath every created noise
There is an uncreated silence.
The unspoken speech of the Holy Spirit,
Never defeated by what is said.
So don't argue with what is nothing but rain.
Let the false words fall like water on a roof,
A sound without a verdict.
Enter the room where the door is shut and
The Father who sees in secret is present.
Let Him restore you.
And let Him restore your name.
For the one who is reviled for Christ
Is not diminished but emptied, and
Made more spacious ...
A vessel for the peace that surpasses speech.
Blessed are you.
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