I.
The Beatitudes
1716
The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises
made to the chosen people since Abraham. the Beatitudes fulfill the promises by
ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the
Kingdom of heaven:
Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed
are you when men 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.12 (Mt 5:3-12. )
1717
The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity.
They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his
Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes
characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that
sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and
rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun
in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
II.
The Desire for Happiness
1718
The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of
divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the
One who alone can fulfill it:
We
all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not
assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated.13
How
is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a
happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life
from my soul and my soul draws life from you.14
God alone satisfies.15
1719
The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human
acts: God calls us to his own beatitude. This vocation is addressed to each
individual personally, but also to the Church as a whole, the new people made
up of those who have accepted the promise and live from it in faith.
III.
Christian Beatitude
1720
The New Testament uses several expressions to characterize the beatitude to
which God calls man:
-
the coming of the Kingdom of God;16
-
the vision of God: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God"17
-
entering into the joy of the Lord;18
-
entering into God's rest:19
There
we shall rest and see, we shall see and love, we shall love and praise. Behold
what will be at the end without end. For what other end do we have, if not to
reach the kingdom which has no end?20 (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 22, 30, 5: PL 41,804. )
1721
God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to
paradise. Beatitude makes us "partakers of the divine nature" and of
eternal life.21 ( 2 Pet 1:4; cf. ⇒ Jn 17:3.) With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ22 (Cf. ⇒ Rom 8:18. ) and into
the joy of the Trinitarian life.
1722
Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes from an
entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace
that disposes man to enter into the divine joy.
"Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
It
is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that
"man shall not see me and live," for the Father cannot be grasped.
But because of God's love and goodness toward us, and because he can do all
things, he goes so far as to grant those who love him the privilege of seeing
him.... For "what is impossible for men is possible for God."23
1723
The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It
invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God
above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or
well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however
beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any
creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:
All
bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pays an
instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth, and by the wealth they
measure respectability.... It is a homage resulting from a profound faith ...
that with the wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and
notoriety is a second.... Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it
may be called "newspaper fame" - has come to be considered a great
good in itself, and a ground of veneration.24
1724
The Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount, and the apostolic catechesis describe
for us the paths that lead to the Kingdom of heaven. Sustained by the grace of
the Holy Spirit, we tread them, step by step, by everyday acts. By the working
of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear fruit in the Church to the glory of
God.25
IN
BRIEF
1725
The Beatitudes take up and fulfill God's promises from Abraham on by ordering
them to the Kingdom of heaven. They respond to the desire for happiness that
God has placed in the human heart.
1726
The Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us: the Kingdom, the
vision of God, participation in the divine nature, eternal life, filiation,
rest in God.
1727
The beatitude of eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural,
as is the grace that leads us there.
1728
The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they
purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things.
1729
The beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of
earthly goods in keeping with the law of God.
GO TO:
SECTION ONE MAN'S VOCATION IN THE SPIRIT
CHAPTER ONE THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
PART THREE LIFE IN CHRIST
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (Acts 9:31)
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