Gezegend - Beurtzang = How Blest - Antiphonal Song, 1978 - 1981

Another word for blessed is 'happy,' or 'pleased'. Oosterhuis is referring to the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12, Luke 6:20-22), about the values which fulfill the responsibilities of Covenant. Contentment awaits those who live out these values, and as a result will experience a radiance of life, peace and joy. In this piece, Oosterhuis reverses the text by claiming how happy is God when we do these things. But in truth, how can God possibly be blest by our behavior? How can anything we do have any affect on an all-perfect Infinite Being? To answer this, we need to remove the cap of the theologian and don the hat of the existentialist. Because such an infinite being has chosen to enter into a Covenant relationship with us, and by our fulfilling the necessary conditions, we are completing God's will for us. We are acknowledging God's generosity toward us, and in mutual bonding, we too become more perfect.. Yet this is a God beyond our pleasing, One who can never be restrained by theology. With the today's convergence of so many disciplines, we may find a fuller understanding in Particle Physics. Eienstein's theory of relativity teaches us that not only are all things relative, but all are mutually dependent. In the physical Universe, everything is bound by the same laws, which lead to completion, perfection. In this light, God is seen in relational terms and no longer as the absolute monarch wearing the mask of Zeus. Huijbers chose the music from the Gregorian chant Crucem Tuam, sung during the Good Friday Reproaches at the Veneration of the Cross. Why such a pairing? When Jesus willingly chose Gethsemane to embrace the sufferings ahead, he made the decision to act unselfishly on our behalf. This was absolute and unconditional love. By his acceptance, he brought fulfillment to his life's purpose. In this example of metanoia through kenosis, only our own self-emptying will lead to that contentment and happiness promised in the Beatitudes. This is the purpose of life's journey. Ultimately, we will achieve perfection only at life's end, extending beyond the grave. - Tony Barr