Resumo

KINYAMAGOHA, Zawadi Job. "Blessed are those who mourn" (Matt. 5:4): A Contextual Reflection. Scriptura [online]. 2025, vol.124, n.1, pp.1-18. ISSN 2305-445X.  https://doi.org/10.7833/124-1-2256.

The statement about mourning in Matthew 5:4 is among the main teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Mourning is among the valuable activities done externally for the purpose of grief resolution. In light of the Hehe of Iringa and the Bena of Njombe, using a qualitative approach and reader-response criticism and documentary analysis as methods, this article reflects on Jesus ' statement about mourning. It argues that Jesus ' statement is an admonition for the Christian community to mourn as a divine life process that, being a divine enforcement for eschatological achievement, will eventually make them subjects of the kingdom of heaven. The reflection concludes that mourning springs from a sense of sin, from a tender conscience, and from a broken heart. It is a godly sorrow over rebellion against God and hostility to God's will. Thus, mourning provides no less than six benefits: acquiring blessings, comfort and inheriting the kingdom of God through repentance; promoting relaxation for further living; rebuilding lost relationships between individuals and God; living as daily advocates of God's call for mission through the law of love in and to the world; managing difficulties and changes in life for coping, recovery and life-giving; and obtaining the necessary and important learning and re-learning.

Palavras-chave : Mourning the loss; Matthew 5:4; Kingdom of heaven; Blessings and future Comfort; Beatitudes; Reader-Response Criticism.

        · texto em Inglês     · Inglês ( pdf )