When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12 NRSV Catholic Edition
As we grow in our Catholic Faith, we are constantly reminded that we do not know best, and we do not know how we should act. Christ gave us many teachings to guide us, and one of the most important of those teachings is the Beatitudes. In the tv series The Chosen, Jesus refers to the Beatitudes as a “roadmap,” saying that wherever you find those described, there you where find Him. This is a beautifully worded statement on the importance of the Beatitudes.
Keeping that in mind, and realizing the profound importance of growing closer to Christ, we should place great importance in learning the Beatitudes. Jesus made the Beatitudes the first part of his Sermon on the Mount, and the catechism describes them as the heart of Jesus Christ’s teaching.
The Beatitudes are not just a map to Heaven, however, they are directions on how to become happy. The original translation of this part scripture really meant happy, rather than the blessings you might think of in a religious ceremony. So to become happy, in this life and especially in the next, we need to keep these Beatitudes close to our hearts.
We need to memorize this guidance from Our Lord, as Catholics we need to learn to live a life of Beatitudes!
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. As Catholics, we must never forget that we need God. We are spiritually destitute, and unless we recognize that we cannot get to heaven on our own and cannot be truly happy on our own, we won’t make it. This beatitude is about realizing our own tremendous faults in the spiritual life, and relying completely on God. We need to humble ourselves completely, and trust in Our Lord completely.
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
For they will be comforted. Death is a horrific part of life. This is not just about death however, it’s about morning our spiritual death. Our sins in other words. By including this point in the Beatitudes, Christ was telling us that we need to mourn our sins, we need to repent and seek forgiveness. When we do, we are comforted with God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Blessed Are The Meek
For they will inherit the earth. Meekness in this context means gentle. Not quiet or shy, but patient. It’s clear that Christ wants us to reject those sinful things like hate and anger, or jealousy and pride. He wants us to be patient, with ourselves and others. He wants us to be gentle even when we really don’t feel like it.
Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness
For they will be filled. How many of us starve profoundly for goodness in our world? How many of us thirst for a more righteous versions of ourselves? Christ knows we are sinful and broken people, and He wants us to be filled with that righteousness we desire. But we cannot give up. We cannot stop hungering for good in this world and within ourselves!
Blessed Are The Merciful
For they will receive mercy. We need to forgive others, even when they don’t deserve it. We need to forgive especially when they don’t deserve it! Forgiveness is VERY important in the life of a Catholic. Without it, we cannot love. Without the ability to forgive our enemies, we cannot hope to live the life Christ calls us too, when through His example on the Cross, He forgave the people who crucified Him.
That’s what it means to be merciful, to forgive. And unless we have this ability, we cannot receive mercy ourselves.
Blessed Are The Pure In Heart
For they will see God. This beatitude is exactly what it looks like, we need to have a pure heart. How do we accomplish this? By rejecting sin, which poisons our heart. Also by rejecting attachments to the things of this world, which creates conflict in our hearts. We need to foster pure charity in our hearts, so that they can be pure. And in the next life we will be able to see the face of Our Creator, who loves us completely.
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
For they will be called children of God. To be a child of God is a grand title indeed. How many of us let things go to end an argument? How many of us step in when other people are at each other’s throats? Can we take a step back and analyze our anger when we’re in the moment? To be a peacemaker means to seek peace with all people, including those pesky neighbors who infuriate us.
This is what makes God a proud father, who calls us His children. When we seek love instead of enmity. When we try to settle things down instead of win an argument against our enemies, whether through violence or uncharitable speech.
Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness Sake
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Christians all over the world are persecuted because of their pursuit of righteousness. To take a stand against falsities and injustice is certainly something we all should do and likely would want to do, but what if you face persecution when to do stand up? We need to strengthen our resolve, we need to increase our fortitude, courage, and spiritual strength. We need to desire truth.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Jesus knows that His followers do not have a sunshine and rainbows type of life. In fact He told us it would be difficult to follow Him. Our pain and suffering, for the sake of Christ, does not go unnoticed. People will hate us, they will try to push us down, and they will speak horrible lies about us. But as Catholics, we are warriors of God. We need to hold on to Christ, we need to resist the temptation to quit. We need to follow Christ’s teachings, even when others call us horrible things and try to discredit us.
So How Do We Live This
As we look at what each Beatitude means, we see some terms that come to mind. Humility, repentance, patience, hunger for righteousness, forgiving, avoiding sin, seeking peace, righteousness, and following Christ. All these things are what we need to shoot for.
The Beatitudes are sources of happiness for us. That’s what the original translation meant, that those who follow these instructions will be happy. But it’s not the happiness in this life we are seeking but in the next life. Living a life of Beatitudes means that we are headed toward Heaven. This is where the kingdom of God will be ours, where we will inherit the new Earth, where we will receive mercy, where we will see God, where we will be called the children of God, and where we will receive great reward!