Understanding the Beatitudes 4 of 8 by Rev. Teresa Stuefloten M.Div. 3/15/2025

Good morning! We are continuing our series on the Beatitudes, Christ Jesus’ message for us about seeking the spiritual path first and foremost as the goal of life. The teachings are found Matthew 5:1-12, in the Bible, referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. The same teachings in slightly different wording are found also in the book of Luke referred to as the Sermon on the Plain.

Today I am speaking about the 4th Beatitude: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 and the parallel verse in Luke 6:21, Blessed are you who hunger now: for you shall be filled.

The Webster dictionary says righteousness is “Acting in accord with Divine or moral law.”

Rev Dr Emmet Fox, in his book “The Sermon on the Mount, The Key to Success in Life,” says “Righteousness is another of the great Key Words in the Bible, one of those keys the reader must have in his possession if he is to get the true meaning of the book.” He goes on to say, “Righteousness means in the Bible, not merely right conduct, but right thinking on all subjects in every department of life. As we study the Sermon on the Mount, we shall find every clause in it reiterating the great truth that outside things are but the expression (ex-pressed or pressed out) or out-picturing of our inner thoughts and beliefs; that we have dominion or power over our thoughts to think as we will; and thus, indirectly, we make or mar our lives by the way in which we do think… “

“The great Law of the Universe is just this - that what you think in your mind you will produce in your experience. As within, so without. You cannot think one thing and produce another. If you want to control your circumstances for harmony and happiness, you must first control your thoughts for harmony and happiness, and then the outer things will follow. If you want health, you must first think health; and remember, thinking health does not meanmerely thinking a healthy body, important as that is, but also includes thinking peace and contentment, and good-will for all, for…destructive emotion is one of the primary causes of disease. If you want spiritual unfoldment and growth in the knowledge of God - God thoughts- give your attention, which is your life, to God rather than to limitation.” (End of quote)

A challenge for many people in the U.S. right now is the political climate, the things that are happening on a daily basis, and their agreement or disagreement with what is happening on a national level. It is tempting to feel great anger if a person disagrees with the actions that are taking place. I have a good friend of many decades who has confided to me that it is so spiritually challenging for her because she tries to think thoughts of love for all people, but her daughter is in danger of losing her job in the firings at the level of the Federal work force. My friend is challenged with feelings of hate creeping into her consciousness for the those who are responsible for the firings. She wants to feel thoughts of love for all, harmony with all, and happiness for herself and all beings. She does not want to feel anger and hatred toward anyone, but she is aware of these feelings creeping into her thoughts. It’s hard for her, also, when she sees hate projected at groups who she sees as lacking power. My friend hates that she is feeling hate, because this is not the person she wants to be. And she is actually a very loving person.

I empathize with my friend, as I, too, sometimes feel thoughts creeping in that I grapple with, as a person who is serious about my spiritual path. Are these thoughts compatible with righteousness? If I am honest with myself, I have to say no. When negative feelings arise, it is time to increase our spiritual practice in order to bring love and harmony to our thoughts. It is the ego that thinks the lower thoughts. We want to develop the Christ mind that is in Christ Jesus, the mind that always sees Truth.Rev Dr Emmet Fox addresses this dilemma, saying, “When people awaken to the knowledge of these great truths, they naturally try to begin to apply them in their own lives. Realizing at last the vital importance of “righteousness,” or the thinking of harmonious thoughts, they, as sensible people, begin immediately to try to put their house in order. The principle involved is perfectly simple, but unfortunately the doing of it is anything but easy. Now, why should this be so? The answer lies in the extraordinary potency of habit; and habits of thinking are at once the most subtle in character and the most di cult to break. It is easy, comparatively speaking, to break a physical habit if one really means business, because the action on the physical plane is so much slower and more palpable than on the mental plane.

In dealing with habits of thought, however, we cannot, so to say, stand back and take a comparatively detached view, as we can in contemplating our actions. Our thoughts flow across the stage of consciousness in an unbroken stream, and so rapidly that only unceasing vigilance can deal with them.” (End of quote.)

So, what will help us to control our thoughts? What will help us to catch our inharmonious thoughts and turn them around? What will assist us in thinking only the harmonious thoughts of love, peace and goodwill to all, to create the life of harmony and happiness we desire? It is our spiritual practices that will assist us in this endeavor. We must daily pray and meditate.

Jesus regularly went alone to pray to God. Luke 6:12, “It came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to a mountain to pray, and he remained all night in prayer to God.” Mark 1:35, “And in the morning he rose up very early and went away to a lonely place, and there he prayed.” Jesus sets the example for us of seeking silence and going within to pray.

We can pray for wisdom and discernment, that our error thoughts will be revealed to us so that we can change our thinking with awareness. We can meditate on positive qualities like love, andharmony. When we go into meditation, one technique that can help us to become present and one-minded in meditation is a technique called mantra, which is to have a word or phrase that we can repeat internally until our mind settles. The word can be something that we want to manifest, such as harmony, love, or any other word that is meaningful to you, symbolic of what you want to bring forth. It can be a single word or a two-word phrase. You can coordinate the word or phrase you have chosen with your breath. For example, say your word phrase is Divine Love. In your mind, think “Divine” on the in-breath, and “Love” on the out- breath. If your chosen word is single word like peace, you could add Om to create the phrase “Om, peace,” When your mind has become calm and still you can let go of the word or phrase and just sit in the silence. The silence is where we commune with God and Divine Wisdom is revealed to us. The silence is not empty. The silence is full with God.

Let’s try that right now using the phrase “Divine Love.” Close your eyes and bring your focus to the center of your forehead above your eyebrows, the spiritual eye. On the in-breath think “Divine” and on the outbreath think “Love.” Just go with the natural rhythm of your own breath. Let’s begin now for one minute, thinking “Divine” on the in-breath, “Love” on the out- breath. I will let you know when the minute is up. (one minute of silence) Okay, that was one minute. How did that feel? Did you feel a sense of calmness? What if you did this every day for 5 or 10 minutes, or even longer? What effect would that have on your consciousness? What would you be creating in your life if you did this daily? As within, so without. If you use the phrase “Divine Love” daily, you are going to bring more Divine Love into your life. And not only your own life, you are bringing Divine Love into the lives of others, into your relationships, and into the atmosphere, into the collective consciousness of the earth plane of existence. Divine Love in our consciousness allows us to see the divinity, the good in others. Then we are seeing rightly, with righteousness, seeing with God’s eyes.Rev Dr Emmet Fox tells us not to be discouraged if we feel our progress is slow. He says, “Do not dwell upon your mistakes or the slowness of your progress., but claim the presence of God with you, all the more…”

Dr Fox also suggests that we take an inventory if we feel we are not progressing, asking ourself if we have not forgiven someone, or if we are “indulging in any kind of political, or racial, or religious sectarian hatred or contempt? He says, “This is sure to be disguising itself under a cloak of self-righteousness.” He tells us to ask ourself if there is any jealousy left in our heart, personal or professional. He is asking us to take a fearless inventory of our thoughts so that we can let go of the thoughts that are not in alignment with and supportive of our quest for righteousness.

Dr Fox advises us that “Indeed we should constantly pray for wisdom and guidance, and for the living action of the Holy Spirit upon us, that the quality of our prayers- our prosperity- may constantly increase.” He says our success is assured if we are wholeheartedly searching for truth and righteousness because “God is not mocked, nor does he mock his children” Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” For whatever a woman sows, that also shall she reap.

What is worthy of our sowing in this lifetime in this physical Earth realm? If we are to hunger and thirst after righteousness, acting according to spiritual and moral law, the highest way of living, the way of Divine Love, the way of the Soul, then obviously our spiritual practice is the most worthy of our time and attention.

When we look around in the world, we see many hungering and thirsting for wealth and power. Many hunger and thirst for things of this world, an expensive car, a large home in a desirable location, vacations to exotic places, designer clothing, expensivejewelry, celebrity status, social influencer, a high position with a high salary. It is the ego, not the soul, that hungers and thirsts for things of the material world. But these are not the lasting things. Now, there is nothing wrong with having these things if they are not the focus of our life, if they come as a result of our consciousness of abundance. If we are putting our spiritual practice first in our life and these things come to us as blessings, then we are free to enjoy them, but not to be lured into making them the focus of our life. And if we are blessed with abundance, then it is our obligation to share our wealth and bless others.

What can we take with us when we leave our physical body and this Earth realm? Can we take the expensive car with us? Can we take the big fancy house with us? Can we take the designer clothing with us to the other side of the veil when the we leave the physical body? Can we take worldly status with us? No, the only thing we take with us is our consciousness and our spiritual growth. So what is worthy of our focus, our attention and e ort? Pursuit of our relationship with God and our spiritual e ort are the only things worthy of being the focus of our life. Everything we truly need flows from this focus.

Honesty, integrity and doing what is right even when it is di cult are indicative of a person who lives a righteous life. A person who walks with God in their daily life is a righteous person. Our late President Jimmy Carter is an example of a righteous person who walked with God. He read his Bible daily and tried to truly live the principles in the Bible. He taught Sunday School into his 90s, wanting to pass on to others the principles of a righteous life. He gave to the poor, even picking up a hammer and personally helping to build houses for those who could not afford to own a home. His image was synonymous with Habitat for Humanity. He worked with the leaders of other countries to promote peace, and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts. Was he perfect in his righteousness? I’m quite sure that he, himself, would have said no, he was not perfect. But I believewhat counts is not perfection, but rather, sincere e ort. And that I think he gave.

We have a responsibility to our fellow beings on this Earth plane. If we are to be righteous, following the example of Christ Jesus, we must provide for the poor, feeding them, clothing them, taking in the stranger, visiting those who are sick and in prison. Jesus teaches this in Matthew 25 starting at verse 31. “For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will say to him, Our Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and took you in? Or that you were naked and clothed you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and came to you? The king will then answer, saying to them, “Truly I tell you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

Compassion toward others is a hallmark of righteousness. Those who are nurturing their relationship with God in daily prayer and meditation, understanding their oneness with God and their oneness with their fellow beings will naturally act with compassion, owing to their deep understanding of oneness. A righteous person who understands their oneness with God will feel the suffering of other beings on this earth as their own suffering and will naturally want to alleviate that suffering.

Kindness, caring, love and compassion flow from a true understanding of our oneness in God. All that we have flows from God as a gift. Nothing we have on this earth is truly ours.

Luke 12:48 says “For to whomever much is given, of him more will be required; and to whom much is entrusted, more will be required of his hand.” If we have been given financial wealth, then it is our duty to share it with those in need. And if we have been given a wealth of spiritual understanding, then it is up to usto share our understanding with those who are receptive to learning, “those who have ears to hear.”

We are to pray and meditate daily because, as Jesus said, “Neither will they say, Behold it is here! or, behold, it is there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” When we are praying and meditating, going within daily, we are nurturing righteousness, a right relationship with God, Spirit, our Creator and Sustainer.

The words hunger and thirst indicate a need for urgency in our search for God. There is a saying, “Look for God like a person with their hair on fire looks for a bucket of water.” We need an urgency to our search for God, so that we do not become lazy and forgetful in our daily practice, telling ourself that we don’t have time to meditate today, so we will do it tomorrow. And it is easy for that tomorrow to be extended for many days before we return to our practice. We must be dedicated to daily spiritual practice, daily prayer and meditation. Most of us manage to find time to watch TV every day. We rationalize that we are tired and deserve a rest from the duties of the day. We just want something to entertain us and help us let go of the day. There is a more effective way to let go of the day. The peace of meditation helps us to let go of the day, sinking into the silence of God communion. There our hunger and thirst are quenched.

The great sage, Paramahansa Yogananda, in his book, The Divine Romance, says, “Make the Lord the Shepherd of your soul. Make Him your Searchlight when you move along a shadowy pathway in life. He is your Moon in the night of ignorance. He is your Sun during the wakeful hours. And He is your Polestar on the dark seas of mortal existence. Seek His guidance. The world will go on like this in its ups and downs.

Where shall we look for a sense of direction? Not to the prejudices roused within us by our habits and the environmentalinfluences of our families, our country, or the world; but to the guiding voice of Truth within.”

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Pursue your relationship with God daily through prayer and meditation. Your hunger and thirst will be quenched, and you will be blessed, filled with the love and the joy of the Divine. And so it is!