The Beatitudes - Matthew 25:1-13
Context of this week’s Gospel reading:
The Beatitudes were selected as the reading on All Saints Day because the Beatitudes reflect the personality of a saint.
The Beatitudes are delivered as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Notice the comparisons to giving of the Mosaic laws. Both were on a mountain, but at Mt. Sinai, God delivers the laws to Moses who then brings them down the mountain to the people. At Karun Hattin, Jesus invites the people up the mountain and delivers the Beatitudes to them directly. This makes sense since Jesus is also bringing the Holy Spirit to humans, such that God moves into the heart of the people directly.
With 1300 years passing since the Exodus and the intimate arrival of the Holy Spirit, it appears it was time to give humans a moral code that was more inviting than prohibitive, but also much wider in scope. For instance, to be a seeker of righteousness and peace has almost endless opportunities than, say, the prohibitions not to steal or kill.
However, the Beatitudes also recognize that what comes along with the pursuit of goodness in this world also come pain and suffering. And therefore Jesus offers us great consolation for these. This leads to the paradoxical nature of his instructions, since Jesus begins with “Blessed are…”(which may be better translated as “Happy are…”), followed by difficulty (poor in spirit, pure in heart, the mourners and the persecuted), followed by an eternal reward!
The rewards are all, one way or another, linked to the kingdom of Heaven.
It also doesn’t take very long to see a common thread that weaves through each beatitude: humility. This should not be surprising since the greatest act of humility since the creation of the universe was the second person of the Trinity emptying himself of his pure Godhood to become one of us, to save us. Pure, sacrificial love. The Beatitudes teaches us ways that we can be like that.
Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Let’s briefly review each one of these:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Poor in spirit (or poverty of spirit) refers to the internal condition of the person, not the external; although a poor external condition may lead one more easily to a poverty of spirit than a rich one.
We must realize that we have no riches when it comes to God, material or spiritual. He is the source of anything we have. We are merely grateful stewards.
If the way we lead our lives places our worldly possessions (that includes family) as a higher priority than God, then we are not poor in spirit. We may feel we are in control when we are successful in the world, but at best we can only be addicted to the world, which is a form of enslavement. If God is your priority, then prudence, moderation, and generosity will govern our lives and our possessions. Our families, friends, and coworkers will also be happier because when God comes first, we gain grace for a greater capacity to love.
The opposite of this poverty-of-spirit was displayed by many of the Pharisees in Jesus’ time, who considered themselves both spiritually and materially wealthy.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
The motives of the mourning in this beatitude are not drawn from usual difficulties one faces in this life but rather one who mourns the suffering of others, particularly due to the tremendous evil throughout the world. This includes the lack of love and justice and the excess of pride and selfishness around us.
We mourn as we hope and pray that God will turn things around or somehow make something good happen out of the bad things going on. Our prayers are instrumental and our deepest hopes are our mourning, and for these we will be rewarded.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land.
Just as the arrogant are as close-minded as they are narrow-minded, the meek are the opposite: humble and kind-hearted. One of the greatest spiritual paradoxes is that we can only gain wisdom through humility. When we are humble, we are not blocked with visions of ourselves, which greatly increases our spiritual peripheral vision.
The “land” refers to the Promised Land, but not of the Old Testament (the former Israel) but the New.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (justice), for they shall be satisfied.”
Those who spend their lives trying to live justly and correct injustices are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And though they may never get to the end of this rainbow on earth, the will absolutely reach it in the next.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Those who work for any of the Corporal or Spiritual Works of Mercy will be repaid with far greater mercy.
The corporal Works of Mercy are kind acts that help our neighbors with their material and physical needs: feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, bury the dead, and give alms to the poor.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy are acts of compassion by which we help our neighbors with their emotional and spiritual needs. Such acts of compassion are when we instruct, advise, console, comfort, forgive, and bear wrongs patiently – as Christ did.
The merciful also recognize their own sinfulness and emptiness, such that they can empathize with other sinners and grant mercy to them.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
The ‘pure in heart’ is the same person on the inside as on the outside. The opposite is a person who has hidden agendas, manipulates others, or is a hypocrite. The pure of heart says only what he means, and does what he says; he also does not speak ill of others.
Jesus gave Nathanial an incredible compliment when he met him for the first time and said, “Here is a true Israelite, in him there is no deceit.” Matthew refers to this quality of a pure heart when he speaks of a “single eye”:
“The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Matt 6:22)
Another quality that helps us develop a pure heart is taking care what we allow to enter us, whether it is exposure to temptation, or dishonest friends/coworkers, pornography, etc. The pure heart wisely feeds their soul good things because they recognize that, at the end of the day, we become whatever we feed our minds.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
The "peacemakers" are those who not only live in peace with others but do their best to preserve peace and friendship among others, and to restore it when it has been disturbed. It is on account of this godly work that they shall be called the sons of God.
The first job a true peacemaker starts with the peace one creates within oneself in partnership with God. Then the peacemaker has the capability to apply this inner quality to his external efforts.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus says that, after all the above, you should expect some good, old-fashioned persecution. Goodness will not go unpunished by this world. BUT, do not be too shaken or bothered because you are doing what all the prophets and saints did before you; and for this reason all of heaven will be yours. It’s a very good deal.
Maranatha!
Ron
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