‘Humpty, you’re one of the happy people, aren’t you?’
‘I should like to think so. Why do you ask?’
‘I was looking at the Sermon on the Mount. In the Good News Version the Sermon kicks off with a description of the happy people.’
And there, in Matthew five we find one such group: ‘Happy are those who work for peace.’ So that’s where Humpty belongs. Nowadays peace-making has become a study in its own right. And a very good thing too. It reminds us that the accolade of peace-maker does not come cheap. Conflict resolution is a hard row to hoe; it takes capable and restrained minds to begin to understand what brings it about.
Happiness in one form or another is something we are all interested in. The Beatitudes echo reverberations in the common mind. The words of Jesus strike home for all of us struggling with our human nature. They become part of our vocabulary. They give a name to something that we know to be important.
We can take it as read, I suppose, that Jesus did not mean us to understand that in this particular Beatitude he was endorsing appeasement at any price or finding an evasive formula that satisfies everyone. He was not saying we should unhesitatingly prefer jelly to steel when we sort out our differences. He was not favouring softly, softly over hard bargaining.
A peace-maker takes up the task knowing that he or she is likely to get roughly handled. Gratitude is an unlikely outcome. That may show itself long after the task is completed. Sighs or lamentations about treachery or injustice may take time to dispel.
And this is not just for the professionals, though they have a particular responsibility. It is also a clear duty for parents. And it is part of the deal for those taking up junior management positions. Bystanders have their part in promoting a general atmosphere of tolerance and understanding.
But the reward is enticing: happiness. We know that this is usually a by-product. Our dedication to a cause or another person introduces us to happy experiences. We find this emphasis in Jesus’ familiar charter.
There came a voice. ‘I know some happy people,’ Humpty was saying. ‘Down at Illogan, Cornwall there’s a hand-bell ringing group – 20 members, all women. They put on performances, using a one and a half octave set that was refurbished in 2015. They’re promoting harmony.’
ON BEING AN ARCHDEACON
In the sparkling March magazine of Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s church) Brian Russell says he enjoys being an archdeacon. Clearly a genial chairman, he says: ‘I found that people who get a buzz from conflict do not make good archdeacons.’ Brian Russell was archdeacon of Aston and more recently senior chaplain at St Edmund’s, Oslo. He is now retired and living in Stratford.
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