BEATITUDES

The Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew (5:1-12a) are contained in the Sermon of the Mount of Jesus. The Gospel of  Matthew is a teaching gospel. It highlights the teaching ministry of Jesus and ends with the Great Commission where Jesus calls His disciples to go to the ends of the earth and make disciples teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them. The Beatitudes refer to paths toward authentic happiness, blessedness and being favored by God. Blessed comes from the Greek word, makarios and in Latin, felix. Jesus is presented as the New Moses but also greater than Moses. He is the law in person. He teaches His disciples about the essential, the absolute and the supreme good. He said, “I have come so that your joy may be complete and that you may have fullness of life.” (John 15:11) The Beatitudes are attitudes, virtues and values of the Kingdom of heaven. They are not visible, external blessings nor worldly ones. To be happy and blessed is a gift from God. The blessings are internal characteristics that each disciple has to develop. They are God’s gifts to those who are humble, open and receptive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the kingdom of God in person. He inaugurates the kingdom of God by His teachings, miracles and especially by His passion, death and resurrection. The first four beatitudes like, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”, describe the heart of the person who is rightly related to God. The rest of the beatitudes like, “Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted”, describe how such a person relates to other people. The Beatitudes reveal the core of Christian living and that is our deep love of God and of our neighbor. We are called to rely on God alone because our world creates false gods and security. The Beatitudes lead us to a right, harmonious relationship with God, with creation, with others and with ourselves. Finally, the Beatitudes point to Jesus who is poor, humble, meek, mournful, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaker and suffering servant. He is the Beatitudes in person. He is our Way toward the Kingdom of heaven.