The Beatitudes were given to us by Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Beatitudes are solemn blessings. The beatitudes were Christ’s gift to us to help us live right.

The Beatitudes

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

There are two different Greek words for poor. One speaks of the working poor. The other describes the abject poor — those who have nothing at all. Surprisingly, the word used is the word for abject poverty. Jesus is saying that the man who is desperately poor is actually blessed. True happiness lies in understanding our utter depravity before God and our complete need for Him.

The poor in spirit are those who realize that they have no ability in themselves to please God. They consciously depend on God, therefore, not on themselves. Jesus says essentially that material wealth or recognition of our ability can work against true spirituality. Paul says it this way,”When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10). He taught unequivocally that having a dependent spirit always caused the power of the Holy Spirit to rest upon him.

Contrary to normal human thinking, weakness and poverty of spirit attract the grace of God. Trying to produce human bravado instead of the confidence of faith does not impress God. Understanding this concept about the poor in spirit, David said,” This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:6-7)

2. Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land.

In our 21st century parlance, meekness does not sound flattering at all. It implies weakness. It may even go as far as to imply a cowardly, easily influenced individual. The Greek word for meek is the word praus, suggesting strong ethics. To be meek meant to be strong, controlled and disciplined. Scottish New Testament scholar William Barclay translates this verse as :”Blessed is the man who is always angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time.”

David addressed the rewards of meekness. His concept of meekness adds a measure of humility to the definitions mentioned earlier.

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever. (Psalm 22:26)

3. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

True compassion will lead us to a sense of mourning. And mourning that identifies with the Lord’s agenda will release His power. This does not apply just to our own concerns; there is a blessing attached when we join in mourning about the state of affairs of people around us.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool; this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 7:4-6)

4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.

People who desire a little truth, righteousness and justice are easy to find. The number of people who long to learn, understand and obey everything the Lord requires are few. These people want to eat the whole loaf of bread instead of simply filling their stomachs. They want to eat all the food in the restaurant instead of stopping at dessert.

David also knew something about spiritual hunger. Having touched the richness of the Lord’s presence, he longed for intimacy with God that would transform his character.

5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

The Lord wants every believer to sow mercy as a seed. As we give mercy to others, we will receive the same from the Lord.

6. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

One of the great intricacies within Christianity is that our motivations are judged, not simply our actions. If a man lusts after a woman in his heart, it is sin. The apostle James explains the reasoning for this by saying that thoughts give birth to mindsets, and mindsets give birth to deeds. Thus if I sin with my mind, my body will eventually get involved. It is just a matter of time. On the flip side, if I meditate on the Word of God and Christian testimonies and teachings, I will be prompted to act in keeping with the focus of my thought in life.

David articulates how this works:

The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. (Psalm 18:24-28)

7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

The Greek word for peace is eirene. It is similar in meaning to the Hebrew word for peace — shalom. It is a positive word, speaking of completeness, soundness, welfare. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for peace is very similar to the word for prosperity. True peacemakers desire the best for the people they serve.

The blessing of being a peacemaker means that we carry grace from God to introduce people to the Prince of Peace. This usually means personal contact, but we can also create an atmosphere of personal peace in someone’s life through our prayers.

8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This beatitude reminds us that our Christian walk is not just about our convenience. Many of David’s psalms seem to revolve around how badly he was treated by his adversaries. Persecution is part of a powerful Christian walk. Jesus described the reward of suffering through persecution as follows:

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 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.

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.

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.

The beatitude of eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural, as is the grace that leads us there.

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.

The beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly goods in keeping with the law of God.

Our outlook and attitudes about life determine how much we will accomplish. One of the most effective military leaders of all time, Napoleon Bonaparte, made this observation about life,”Get your principles straight; the rest is a matter of details.”

Living a principled life gives a person a sense of direction and a way to measure success. Principles help keep us on a specific path. Abraham Lincoln lived by the code of honesty more strictly than most. This informed observation of his has helped me a great deal:” I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.” ~ Harry R. Jackson

Take a moment now to think about truth, light and your calling to maintain a godly outlook and attitude.