“HAPPY are those who mourn”? “What a contradiction!” someone may well exclaim upon reading those words in Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Mourning and happy at the same time? How can that be?
A little reflection, however, will make it plain. True, among the many definitions of the word “happy” is “having the feeling arising from the consciousness of well-being”; and among its synonyms are gay, cheerful, pleasant, glad and joyous. However, “happy” also has a deeper meaning, such as fortunate, or, from the Bible viewpoint, “favored by God.” It is this weightier meaning that attaches to Jesus’ words: “Happy are those who mourn, since they will be comforted.”—Matt. 5:4.