The Beatitudes - A New Look

The beautitudes, even as I have studied them and taught them to others, have been a little difficult for me to grasp. The new Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Matthew volume -- Sri and Mitch) was very helpful. I picture Jesus going up the mountain, a place of divine revelation, and sitting, which is the posture of a rabbi teaching His disciples. The Greek word for happy (makarios) denotes blessedness or happiness, not in the sense of an emotional state, but in terms of being in a fortunate situation. Many of the people whom the world would consider to be among the most miserable -- the poor, the mourning, the meek, the persecuted -- Jesus proclaims to be in an advantageous situation, for God looks now with favor on them and assures them of consolation in the future.

The poor refers not just to those in economic hardship, but also the oppressed people of God who were in particular need of God's help. The reference to the poor in spirit puts the emphasis not on material poverty, but on one's inner attitude. It refers to those who take their powerlessness to heart, who recognize that God is the only one who can help them and who trust that God will act on their behalf.

When I am in a difficult situation, feeling helpless to do anything, do I remember that God is THE ONLY ONE who can help me, and do I trust that He will act on my behalf?

Jesus doesn't necessarily commend mourning as such, but He praises those who grieve over wickedness, whether it be afflicting others or causing them suffering directly. Even though they may not be able to change their circumstances around them, they can resist evil internally by "mourning" it. God will vindicate the faithful and they will be comforted. This comfort also belongs to those who repent and mourn for their own sins.

Do I "mourn" over the sins that I commit? Do I feel an internal sorrow . . . do I grieve over what I have done to my relationship with God and others? What about the sins of the world, the sins of our society, our country, the governments of the world . . .??

The meek are the lowly who patiently wait on the Lord amid their afflictions and refrain from responding in anger or with force against those who wrong them. They rely on God -- not their own strength -- to set things right.

This really applies to my workplace -- am I patient with my coworkers? Do I speak out in anger or derision or sarcasm when one of them gives me a hard time? What about my thoughts? Am I judging them unfairly or negatively? Am I treating them with anything but the love of Christ? Am I relying on God totally to set things right . . . in every area of my life?? Our Lord tells us that vengeance is HIS!

The image of hunger and thirst depicts someone seeking something with his/her whole heart. The person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness longs for God's saving action and seeks to do His will with the intensity of someone starving for food or dying of thirst. This beatitude refers to those who are not content with things as they are and refuse to stifle the restlessness of heart that points them toward something greater.

How intensely do I long for God's saving action and seek to do His will? May I never be content with the way things are . . . and continually strive to make my will one with God's.

Mercy is one of God's most outstanding attributes! Mercy involves an inward identification with those in need and an outward action of kindness and generosity toward them. In this beatitude, Jesus emphasizes the reciprocal nature of mercy. God will show His mercy to us to the extent that we are merciful to others.

Do I make an effort to put myself in the shoes of those in need? Do I have compassion for them and their situation? What do I do to make a difference?

In Hebrew, the heart is the center of a person's inner life -- the emotions, the intellect, and most especially, the will. The clean of heart are those who love God with undivided allegiance, with all their hearts. They pursue His will single-heartedly, without mixed motives. This beatitude echoes Psalm 24:3-5, where entrance into the temple required not only external purity, but also the internal disposition of a clean heart. Jesus commends those disciples whose external acts of faith reflect the inward attitude of a pure heart.

Do I love God with undivided allegiance? When I go to Mass, what is the internal disposition of my heart? Am I "clean of heart" so as to be worthy to receive our Lord's Body and Blood (although I guess we are never completely worthy)?

The Hebrew understanding of peace includes more than the absence of hostility. It denotes well-being and rightly ordered personal relationships and society. The peacemakers are those who strive to bring about harmony with God and with others in society. They seek to unite those who are estranged from one another and to be reconciled with their own enemies. They share in the Father's mission of reconciling the world to Himself.

Am I a friendly witness to the Catholic Faith? When people find out I'm Catholic, what do they see? How do I approach non-Catholics? Am I combative, self-righteous, or do I patiently and kindly explain the truths of the Faith?

In our obedience to God's law, we can be persecuted by the world. We are reminded of those heroes and prophets from the OT who were killed for their faithfulness to God, and especially the martyrs who died for the sake of the Torah in the time of the Maccabees. Christ's faithful followers should expect similar trials. Don't despair . . . Jesus promises us the kingdom of heaven!