Jesus: the original psychologist that's an image Tom McMahon presents for us today in this continuing reflection on the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are part of the teaching Jesus presents to reduce stress in our lives.

A tribute to Jesus and his Beatitudes…

St. Ignatius of Loyola taught his followers to use their imaginations when they reflected on the Good News of Jesus my Christ. A wounded soldier, Ignatius sought peace of mind as he founded the teaching order called the Jesuits. Imagine for yourself the chaos of the 15th century, wars, black plague, poverty, church corruption and the sharp contrast of sitting quietly with your mind on the gentle itinerant preacher from Nazareth. One might add in a grassy slope and one's neighbor generously sharing some fish and bread. Jesus was offering advice to human beings on how to be happy. My imagination does not have Jesus offering eight straight suggestions; I might have even followed him to the next town to hear more. I see Jesus as one of the original psychologists, offering peace and meaning to a troubled people. The Creator started it all when the ability to love another was deeply invested in human nature. I think we are wired for love and peace.

Ignatius of Loyola painting by Peter Paul Rubens

One doesn't have to join the Jesuit Order to employ the Ignatian system as it is workable to all of us today who claim to be Jesus' followers; I need not tell you of the chaos of modern culture or offer reasons why I skim through the morning newspaper. The Beatitudes are earthy advice, the counseling world today having nicknames such as "positive reinforcement" or, better still, "cognitive therapy". I translate this latter term into a subtle practice of offering a positive counter script (reword/rewrite) of negativity as it shows forth; when I take a friend for a ride and he brings up how dangerous his street has become I offer a gentle counter of how I have enjoyed the beautiful springtime trees in blossom.

Our Public Radio (PBS) interviewed a US Army General who oversees soldiers brain damaged by road side bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was embarrassed for the army and America by the man's stupidity. The general, a non-medical person, used the term "cognitive therapy" without any idea of what such actually is. He said that it was army policy to take a soldier off line for 24 hours after a road side bomb had damaged a vehicle and the soldier would be evaluated for brain damage, even if it took 48 hours. The present and future Veterans Administration will handle massive numbers of brain damaged military personnel, a generation of wounded youth who will be prone to dementia as they approach their mid-forties. Rather than call Mohamed Ali a punch drunk fighter I prefer to see him as brain damaged by a vicious activity that does not deserve the name sport. Youth and sport have entwined in an unholy marriage, brute force becoming an ideal and a sharp contrast to the beatitudes of Jesus. Sport has become the battleground for aggressive behavior. Jesus uses the words gentle and merciful.

Blessed are the peacemakers, the gentle, the merciful…
They shall be called the children of God...

Take a rest from the hub bub of today and hear the Master-teacher's gentle encouragements. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer some 14 years ago. I became depressed. I felt sentenced to death. I entered the Dr. Dean Ornish Prostate Cancer Study and for five years I faithfully attended weekly meetings. I learned to calm myself, employing daily yoga, exercise, and meditation as well as a radical shift away from a heavy Western diet. Without conscious awareness I found I had time to be a social being, mingling weekly with men (and our wives as the program was coed) who had the same medical problem. We were people of hope. We were deeply into genuine cognitive therapy.

My blood, now frozen, taken every three months during the cancer program is now studied at Sloan Kettering in New York. My cancerous tumor has disappeared, my immune system is repaired and working in prime condition as my Creator originally intended. My life style change gave me a new lease on life. In a simple fashion and without much fanfare I had made the beatitudes a focus of my life. I highly recommend community living that involves an interplay of social activity with a gentle eye to the teachings of Jesus. Stress is a body destroyer; the Beatitudes are remedies to stress. I encourage that we do more than simply tell Snoopy not to be cold.

Today at our Senior Center we had our first of seven sessions on Dementia and Alzheimer's. We have about 40 interested seniors who for our summer months will study together the problems of the aging mind and possible illness prevention. We are in pursuit of a friendly notion of God as the greatest contributor to mental ill health in America is the fear of a punishing god. Jesus called his God "daddy".

I close today with a quote that interested me from Australia's Helen, taken from Catholica Forum. Helen says: "Of course my faith in Jesus is not in question; it is the realization that maybe Mass is not the best way for me to worship now. But we are a sacramental Church and that is the crux". Helen, forgive me as I single you out and I do so in admiration as I see you often (by the internet) as a sincere Jesus' follower. I see Jesus as wanting to be valuable to people in life, he encouraging that we leave our gift at the altar and make amends with our neighbor. A priest friend of 68 years has entered into a family dispute that is fast becoming harmful to my grandchildren; Bill is becoming the pontifex (bridge builder) in a damaged human relationship within our family system. Bill lives by the Beatitudes and I have high hopes of a healing. I am trained in the Virginia Satir Family System of Therapy, a style of healing whose roots can be seen in the eight encouragements of Jesus. I have left my gift at the altar and won't use any sacraments, particularly Mass and Eucharist, to be a part of a hope-filled process. I believe that I will find the beginning of a Jesus' healing as we gather next Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of my mother-in-law. We are gathering at her golf club where great grandmother Jennie plays two days a week. I will consider my involvement an act of worship of my Creator and I will read before I go Matthew, Chapter 5, and abide by Jesus' instructions.

Blessed are the gentle, happy are the peacemakers, satisfied are those who seek justice, forgiveness is returned to those who forgive, consoled are the broken hearted.

"seeing the crowds, he went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them..." Matthew, chapter 5

PS: allow me to introduce my paternal grandparents. They are the pair whose simple marriage certificate I have, dated, November 21, 1878, Virginia City, Nevada. They lived the Beatitudes and I am proud to have inherited a share of their genetics. [Click the images to enlarge]

Tom McMahon in San Jose. Ca. Thanks John Chuchman for "THE JOURNEY" last Sunday [LINK] ... I needed such; tell you why later. 17/06/2010

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