Forrest Gump. Gomer Pyle. Little Orphan Annie. Linus Van Pelt. Jane Eyre. Tiny Tim Cratchit. And every other underdog of literature or film you can name. What do they have in common? A sterling goodness that more than makes up for everything they lack, including: money, ability, stature, strength, and authority. Yet somehow or other, these little ones in the world’s estimation find champions in the end, or become champions in their own right. We tell their stories because these tales make our hearts swell with hope. We want such characters to inherit the earth because, doggone it, wouldn’t it be grand if they did?

Now for the downbeat: We live in a world where Linus, Annie, and Tiny Tim are more likely to be crushed than cherished. We inhabit a reverse-Beatitude realm. Here, the poor are forgotten. Those who mourn are avoided. The meek are cheated. Those hungry for justice are blamed for their disadvantages. The merciful are considered patsies. The clean of heart are viewed as narrow-minded. Peacemakers are deemed unpatriotic. Those persecuted for righteousness? If they’re beaten, jailed, or threatened, it’s only what they deserve.

The reverse-Beatitude realm is a toxic place. We don’t want to be here. When we hear prophets like Zephaniah promise a future where wrongs will be righted, where the humble and lowly find refuge, we nod our heads in approval of this message. We want to live in the fantastic land where the Lord sets captives free, where the blind see and the lame dance.  We want to go to sleep at night knowing the fatherless and the widows are provided for. We’d all sleep better if they were.

Instead, we live in the land of bullies and prisoners, the frightened and the powerless. A lot of people go to bed hungry, and some have no beds to go to. Liberty and justice are not for all, not even here in America. This is wrong, all wrong, and we know that. So we keep telling ourselves stories about Forrest Gump outrunning his leg braces, or Jane Eyre discovering at last that she’s always been stronger and more powerful than the pathetic villains and fools who have been her keepers. We want to believe that when Gomer Pyle finally opens his mouth and sings like Jim Nabors, his whole future will be transformed for the better and he’ll get all the respect he deserves. We dream.

Time to stop dreaming, and start preparing for the Beatitude world we long for. It’s Catholic Schools Week, and if we can’t change the world overnight, we can change the lives of our children one day at a time. Children are the future, and they will inherit the earth. Let’s give it to them!

Related scripture links

Israel as God's own possession: Exod. 3:6-10, 13:1, 15:16-17, 19:4-6, 20:1-6
Saved from the flood: Gen. 6:5-9:1, 7; 2 Pet. 2:5
Spared from Sodom: Gen. 19:1-29
God relents from wiping out the nation: Exod. 32:1-29

Catechism links

The universal destination of goods: CCC 2401-2449