beatitudes

Blessed is the one who hears and ponders the word of God and puts it into practice.

Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, in their commentary on Matthew, offer three key insights into how to understand the beatitudes. Contextually, Jesus does not make up the genre of beatitudes himself. The Greek, makarios, can be interpreted to mean happy and “denotes blessedness or happiness not in the sense of an emotional state but in terms of being in a fortunate situation… In the Jewish tradition, beatitudes either commended those who take a certain path of life or promised future consolation to those in affliction” (Mitch and Sri, 88). 

The Hebrew Scriptures provide examples that Joseph and Mary would have read or shared from memory to Jesus, and he would have prayed with himself. “Forty-five beatitudes are found in the Old Testament, most in the Psalms and Wisdom literature, where they commend a certain quality, condition or situation. For example, the blessed are those who delight in God’s law (Ps 1-2), who take refuge in the law (Ps 2:12)… and trust in him (Ps 84:12).” (Mitch and Sri, 89).

Who is blessed to Jesus? Not even his own mother because she is his mother, but blessed is the one who hears and ponders the word of God and puts it into practice (cf. Luke 11:28). Jesus presents to his followers a path of how they are going to live a particular way of life. He is setting a road map that will guide them through the trials and tribulations that will come in doing so, and even when challenges arise, Jesus promises that his Father will provide consolation. Those who put the beatitudes into practice and live as his disciples will experience happiness and fulfillment. 

Mitch and Sri also show that “Jesus’ beatitudes represent a reversal of values, turning the world’s standards for happiness upside down” (Mitch and Sri, 88). Mature disciples of Jesus will come to experience consolation no matter the external storms that arise. Even in times of desolation, they will remain persistent and on course, so to come out on the other side stronger for having trusted that Jesus is with them even when they did not feel his presence. 

Jesus does not commend those who wage war as blessed, but instead: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Mt. 5:9). Jesus does not promote the lives of the rich and famous, but instead: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3). Jesus does not affirm those who thirst for power, pleasure, wealth, and fame, but instead: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Mt. 5:6).

These are just a few of the eight beatitudes Jesus presented. A good practice is to review each of the eight beatitudes that Jesus presents in the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount. Which one(s) strike a nerve. Stop there and meditate with Jesus leading us. Where is he helping us to see a way where we can release an attachment so to better follow more faithfully?

Jesus invited his disciples to sit at his feet as the “new Moses”. He came up the mountain like Moses who came up to receive the law. Jesus did not come to receive the law, he came to “teach it” (Mitch and Sri, 87). As he begins his Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, the other wonderful thing we will realize about the beatitudes is that he was not just sharing head knowledge but practical ways to inherit the kingdom of Heaven, to grow in intimacy with his Father and share in the love of the Holy Spirit. All practices that he himself lived through and through.

The Beatitudes, like the Ten Commandments, are boundaries that define us as the children and inheritors of God’s will and blessing. They help us to uncover that which seeks to lead us astray, to isolation, and to our death, and instead identify how to stay focused on that which leads us to eternal life. The most important thing we can do every day is to pray, and the enemy knows that, so he will seek with all his means to distract, divert, and dissuade us from doing so or to keep our prayer and practices merely at the functional level. 

Jesus offers us his love that we might trust him to allow his light to shine in our hearts and minds and the places we would rather no one would see. Even those places that we may feel unlovable, because even there, Jesus will love us when we let him in. He seeks to reveal our sin and failures, not to condemn and shame us, but to help us to see what is enslaving and isolating us and that which keeps us from greater intimacy with his Father. The light and love of Jesus help us to see what our lives are like without God and what they are like with him.

As our consciences become better formed through following Jesus’ teaching, such as the Beatitudes, as we allow him access to our wounds and sins, as we are loved by Jesus even there, we will be purified by the loving fire of the Holy Spirit, and we will then be blessed with a clean heart and see God. See our Loving God and Father who has made us to be happy, fulfilled, and at rest; a rest that we will find when we breathe, receive, rest, and abide in Him.

Photo: Quiet time praying Evening Prayer after the Saturday Vigil Mass at St Helen Catholic Church in Vero Beach.

Mitch, Curtis. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, June 8, 2026

When we look at the crucifix, do we see humility?

“Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law” (Zephaniah 2:3).

To be humble is not mocking or putting ourselves down, being milk toast, allowing others to walk all over us, being indecisive, insecure, lacking confidence, or denying the gifts God has given us – just read the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and you will get that message loud and clear from Jesus. A better way to understand the definition of humility is to ponder a good quote that is attributed to CS Lewis, but according to the C.S. Lewis Foundation, he did not write.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” We are to “seek the Lord” and “observe his law” because God is God and we are not. To be humble in the biblical sense is to bring each thought, word, and action to God first before following through on any and to trust him with everything and before anyone else. We are to be as dependent on God as infants and toddlers are with their parents.

Another good barometer of our humility is to assess to what extent we are attached to the things of this world at the expense of the things of heaven. If we would like to see a good example of non-attachment, ponder a crucifix for a while. Jesus, the incarnation of the second Person of the Trinity, gave up everything. He surrendered his divinity to experience the fullness of his humanity. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he felt the full weight of his impending death. Jesus did not want to die, but in these words, Jesus saved each of us and all of creation. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done” Luke 22:42).

That statement is humility of humilities! Jesus was willing to give all he had, all he was, holding nothing back, even his life, and he was willing to die for his bride, the Church. Would that we who have been or still are husbands as well as wives, were willing to be as humble as Jesus is for our spouse. That is not an indictment, but an invitation to assess our present level of humility in our relationships. Jesus is not the gold standard, he is the heavenly standard. If we are to grow in our humility, we must be willing to love as Jesus did and we begin by allowing ourselves to be loved by the Father and to depend on him for everything.

In doing so, we will slowly begin to become less, the ego will have less of a reign, and we will follow God’s will more freely and with less hardness of heart. To be humble is to be willing to change by allowing the light of Jesus to identify what within our lives are leading us away from growing in our relationship with God and what is helping us to improve our relationship with God. Being humble is being willing to stand in the fire of God’s truth, his love, and let it burn. What is burned away are the disordered affections, lies, sins, attachments, and what remains is the purity of who he has created us to be.

Zephaniah announced that if we are humble, we are to observe God’s law. As disciples, we realize that Jesus not only observed the law, for he did not come to abolish the law, and he not only fulfilled it, Jesus also raised the bar of observing the law. The Ten Commandments are a solid foundation to put into practice in our lives, but the Beatitudes we read about from Matthew 5:1-12, take our seeking God to the next level. The Beatitudes are worth pondering and observing in our lives, experimenting with, and putting them into practice.

I like the interpretation of the Beatitudes as presented by Dr. Brandt Pitre, which I close with and which we might meditate upon:

Those who live out each of these eight beatitudes will be happy and experience more meaning in their lives. We start off with the hinge pin of the beatitudes, which ought not to be a surprise if I haven’t put you to sleep yet. Those who are poor in spirit are those who are humble, those who are dependent on the love and support of God for everything in their lives. Mourners are those who lament sin, suffering, and death, they lament that which separates us from the love of God. The meek are those who receive insults and are not undone by them, resist reacting in kind and instead, conquer evil with good.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness seek a life devoted to holiness and justice. The merciful are blessed because they are willing to forgive, they live the law with compassion, willing to suffer with others to bring about change. The pure or clean in heart are those who act with integrity, those we can trust to do God’s will even when no one is looking. The peacemakers are those who have embraced the gospel, they are willing to seek reconciliation with others whoever the other may be, even enemies. And to finish off, blessed are those who are persecuted, those are accept the slander, false accusations, and being reviled for being a follower of Jesus.

Let us this Lord’s Day, in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, give ourselves some time to meditate and pray about how humble we are, how willing we are to follow the law of God, and whether or not we want to be truly happy, and if so, how well are we following the Beatitudes in our day to day. Where we fall short in any of the above, may be a good invitation that Jesus is inviting us to pray with, and discern which Beatitude that we might be able to begin to practice with more intention this Lent.

Photo: Humility of humilities!

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, February 1, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

The beatitudes lead us away from the false promises of this world to experience real joy!

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man” (Lk 6:22).

The Beatitudes are contrary to much of what too many of us are tempted by when seek our satisfaction, security, and fulfillment. Much of us are lured in some form or fashion, by power, fame, wealth, pleasure, and celebrity. What is more, how many of us who proclaim to be people of faith resist Jesus’ teachings because of self-centered reasons? We hold on to things that keep us from God, that really do not make us happy.

In today’s Gospel account from Luke, Jesus began to teach his disciples on a deeper level. He had just chosen the twelve by name and that number would not have slipped by them. Their thoughts were more than likely moving closer to the realization that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised heir of David. Would he be gathering them together to restore the twelve tribes of Israel and overthrow the occupying power of Rome? Yes, but not in the way they were thinking.

Jesus’ presentation was not about taking up military or physical armaments, but spiritual ones of attaining the  kingdom through four blessings and dashing the common hope with four woes. Jesus’ message is a universal message, an invitation to and for all who have ears to hear as well as hearts and minds open to receive. Jesus spoke not only to his twelve newly hand picked followers as wells as those from “Judea and Jerusalem” but also those from the “coastal region of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17). That Jesus did not dismiss but was teaching those from Tyre and Sidon would not have been missed either. They were from Gentile territory.

Jesus’ teachings challenged all present and they challenge us today to evaluate where we are placing our trust and security. If we are placing our trust in the things of this world, the four woes section is for us, for that which is finite and material are fleeting and passing. By placing our trust in Jesus, his Father and the love shared between them, the Holy Spirit, the beatitudes will lead us to experience joy.

Being poor, hungry, in mourning, hated, excluded, insulted and denounced as evil will bring us happiness? Yes. Because each of them counter the typical substitutes that we can be tempted by and place before our relationship with God. Each of the beatitudes that Jesus offers are invitations to experience true joy. We just need to be willing to relinquish putting self first and seeking pursuits apart from God’s will.

When we rely more on God and less on material things, even relationships, when we depend more on God alone, our relationships and our pursuits will be more properly ordered. With God first, we will experience order and peace and… what is so fleeting to so many who seek both in the things of the world, we will experience real rest. If we are serious about being Jesus’ disciple, then a good place to start is learning and living the beatitudes. This is no easy task but when we look at each one and begin to detach from the attachments they allude to, “we will rejoice and leap for joy” (Lk 6:23)!

Joy because we will then have the inner freedom to experience the good things that God gives and less ensnared by them. We will be fueled not by the advancement or aggrandizement of self, but by emptying our ego, we will have room to receive the love of Jesus, the source of our joy, which wells up from within and never runs dry! Jesus is the kingdom of Heaven that is at hand and he will lead us, if we are willing to follow, to the ultimate desire and deepest craving and hunger of our being, to be in communion with God and one another.

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Photo: EnJOYing another beautiful sunset painted on God’s canvas of creation Sunday evening. May you experience a taste of the joy God is seeking to bring you today!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Material happiness is fleeting but the joy fueled by Jesus is eternal.

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man” (Lk 6:22).

The Beatitudes are contrary to much of what too many of us are tempted by when seek our satisfaction, security, and fulfillment in what St. Thomas Aquinas calls the substitutes that we put in place of God: power, fame, wealth, and pleasure. What is more, we may resist Jesus’ teachings because we do not agree, there are behaviors we may not be willing to let go of, we don’t understand them, or we find them too hard.

In today’s Gospel account from Luke, Jesus taught his disciples how to attain the kingdom through five blessings and four woes. Jesus’ message is a universal message, an invitation to and for all who have ears to hear and a heart open to receive. These teachings though challenge us to place our trust, not in the things of this world but in Jesus. That which is finite and material are fleeting and passing and cannot fulfill us. We will always be wanting more and we are never satisfied. In placing our trust in Jesus, he will lead us to his Father, and it is in building that relationship that we will experience true happiness and fulfillment for the deepest core of our being is made to be in communion with God and only he can fulfill our deepest need.

This is an inviting offer, yet when putting Jesus’ teachings into practice in our everyday lives we will receive opposition from those in our lives and from ourselves from within. Another word for blessed is happy. Can we really be happy if we are as Jesus said, poor, hungry, weeping, and when people insult and hate us? Yes. When we seek to live out these beatitudes with the help of Jesus, we will find that we are indeed happier when we are not attached to material goods, when we are more moderate in our consumption, and when we are not attached to outcomes as we want them fulfilled and when we are not seeking immediate gratification. We will experience much more joy and freedom if we are not gauging our every thought, word, and action based on what others think and instead be free to live our lives by following God’s will.

To be blessed, happy, and fulfilled in this life can be fleeting, like trying to catch the wind, if we seek to do so by acquiring more material things and having things our way as we want it, when we want it, on our terms alone. We will experience true happiness and deeper joy when we are willing to let go of our attachments to the things of this world and instead, place building a relationship with Jesus as our primary practice.

If we are serious about being his disciples, then a good place to start is learning and living the beatitudes. This is no easy task but as we come to better understand what they require, we are willing to let go and allow the Holy Spirit to heal and work through us, “we will rejoice and leap for joy” (Lk 6:23)! Joy because we can experience the good things that God wants to give us.

When we can see the difference between God’s gift of grace, the very gift of his life he wants to impart in us, and the apparent glittering of goods and false truths we have been seeking to provide for our security and foundation, we will be less apt to be ensnared by them. Slowly and surely, step by step, making time each day for prayer, reading and meditating upon what we learn in scripture, struggling with them, yet trusting in Jesus and putting them into practice, we will experience the love of Jesus, the eternal source of our joy, and we will drink from the well that never runs dry!

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Photo: Fireworks this past July 4. They have passed, but the joy in serving at Holy Cross continues to grow!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, September 11, 2024