The Beatitudes In Matthew's Gospel: A Source Of Strength And Consolation For The Church In South Sudan
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Date
2003
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Since I joined the Comboni Missionaries, I have known about the Church in
Southern Sudan as the one struggling in poverty and persecution. This was one of
the reasons the Comboni Missionaries served in these areas. Even now, poverty and
persecution are still characteristics of these people.
As I have had the opportunity to visit Southern Sudan (also called New
Sudan), I came to know first hand the suffering of the people. They are mainly
Christians who hope to live in peace on their own land, yet many now are displaced.
War and tension are always present, and they must flee at a moment's notice any
moment, when the Antonov I comes to bomb the village or some other kind of attack
may befall them.
As Christians, their questions and my questions are the same: what can God
tell us about this situation? Where is Ile at this moment of poverty and persecution?
I believe Ile is already acting by pouring out his Spirit, but I also believe he has
something else to say to these poor, abandoned children. They are God's preferred
ones
The beatitudes are the Magna Carta of the gospel of Matthew. In them,
God's kingdom is central and speaks with a powerful voice to the Church. The Church of Matthew's gospel also suffered persecution and poverty after the
destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. This catastrophic event left the people
without identity. Only God himself could bring them consolation Through poverty
and persecution, they became the people of the beatitudes.
Both Matthew's community and the southern Sudanese Christians,
experience poverty and persecution. I hope to examine the beatitudes as consolation
strength for the Church of southern Sudan. I will present the situation of both
Churches, and state how the beatitudes challenge their situations. I will highlight
common elements in both situations that speak of God's Kingdom as visible, despite
moments of hopelessness and discouragement.
In chapter one, I will present the situation of the Church in Matthew's gospel
and the important events that separated the Matthew's community from other Jewish
groups, especially the Jewish-Christian portion of the community that lived more
tins separation. I will present also the challenge of recovering the identity of the
Matthew's community, with the beatitudes that promise consolation.
Chapter two provides an analysis of the beatitudes as important theological
expression for the community of Matthew. I will show how they are characteristic of
a Christian community. The beatitudes are presented in a way that help us to see
how God is acting among his people. In chapter three, I will provide a short history of the situation of the Church
of southern Sudan that will help us to understand better the current situation of war.
Also, I will be presenting the challenges of the Church in southern Sudan, which is
called to give consolation and strength to the people, living poverty and persecution. Finally, in chapter four, I will try to show how the same beatitudes are also
consolation and answer to the situation of persecution and poverty in Southern
Sudan. The Church there has similar situations to the Church of Matthew. In this
part, I stress the importance of the Small Christian Communities (SCC) as a way to
share the experience of God's Kingdom as a poor and persecuted Church.
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Keywords
Beatitudes, Matthew's Gospel, Consolation, Source Of Strength, Church In South Sudan