Who is blessed?

I was reading the Disciplines devotion this weekend based on the lectionary reading for the week: Luke 6:17-31.

The author of the devotion tells the story of a gentleman he knew who always replied to the question, "How are you?" with "I am blessed."

He didn't understand how a gentleman who was retired, but had to continue working, who was struggling to make ends meet, could consider himself blessed.

He went on to say that the man was blessed because Jesus said he was. He told us that Jesus declared that those who are poor, who are hungry or who are lost are blessed. We talked about the Beatitudes before; in our Wednesday night class I keep coming back to the idea that God's way of looking at the world is backwards from the way we do. It's had to see this gentleman as blessed because of his circumstances.

He is blessed, however, because of his relationship with God. He must know the joy of finding oneself close to God and living in his will. None of that is related to the man's occupation; it has to do with his life with his creator.

Do we understand that? Do we look a the Beatitudes with the eye of a member of society or as a member of the Body of Christ?

I also read a post by the Cheesehead in Paradise about this passage. It's a good one -- it's got a little bit of Buchner, if you look for it.

Image: Another image of the sunset in Southeastern WV. This one at a higher speed.