"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"
The First Beatitude is not an acceptance of poverty as a condition. It is not poverty itself but
poverty in spirit that is blessed. "Poor in spirit" means to be humble. It requires a humble
recognition that ones life must be lived in radical dependence on the goodness and providence of
God, who is the source of all good things.
To have poverty of spirit means to be completely empty and open to the Word of God. When
we are an empty cup and devoid of pride, we are humble. Humility brings openness and an inner
peace, allowing one to do the will of God. He who humbles himself is able to accept our frail nature,
to repent, and to allow the grace of God to lead us to Conversion.
For the poor: in the spirit of generosity and magnanimity, they share the little they have with
those who have even less. The dignity of their human calling is to rise above their condition of
poverty. Through the use of their own gifts and talents through honest work, they struggle against
all forces which prevent them from attaining their God-given right to a decent human life.
For the rich: recognizing the true source of their security and wealth, they strive to live a
simple life so that they may share of what they have with those who have so little. Even at a cost of
their own personal interest, they are moved by grace to work for a more equal and just distribution
of resources and wealth through the transformation of social structures.
It is pride, the opposite of humility, which brings misery. For pride brings anger and the
seeking of revenge, especially when one is offended. If every man was humble and poor in spirit,
there would be no war!
"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Mourning touches the core of our wounded human condition. In the Matthean understanding,
mourning is an expression of a moral attitude. We mourn over the sinful condition of our lives, the
misery and suffering of others, the massive poverty, and injustice in the world. Our mourning which
impels us to give comfort and consolation to others is blessed with Gods comfort for us.
It is strange that when without any thought of our suffering we pour ourselves in healing the
sufferings of others, we are ourselves healed and comforted. This is the wonder of the blessing to
those who mourn for others.
At the heart of the Beatitude is the Paschal Mystery. It is in dying to ourselves for others to
live that we rise to new life. This is the fundamental meaning of dying and living in Christ.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
St. Gregory of Nyssa taught that the Beatitudes build one upon another. A humble person
becomes meek, or becomes gentle and kind, and exhibits a docility of spirit, even in the face of
adversity and hardship. A person that is meek is one that exhibits self-control. St. Augustine advises
us to be meek in the face of the Lord, and not resist but be obedient to him. Obedience and
submission to the will of God are certainly not in vogue these days, but they will bring one peace in
this world and in the next.
Meekness is not identical with passivity. The meekness which is blessed comes from
tranquility and gentleness of spirit in a person who, united with God, is filled not only with the
passion to right the wrong but also the compassion to offer forgiveness and renewal to the
wrongdoer.
Because power, possession and prestige are blessings from the goodness and providence of
God, those must be used for the service and the defense of the poor and the powerless.
When we do not obey the will and plan of God that there must be a just sharing of wealth
and resources, violence will dominate the lives of both the rich and poor. The rich will use violence to
protect their wealth and the poor will use violence to steal the wealth of the rich.

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."
The deepest hunger and thirst of the human heart is the thirst and hunger for the
righteousness of God, fulfilled and realized in justice. Blessed are the persons who devoted their
lives to attain the vindication of what is right, of the triumph of the righteousness of God. There is
joy and satisfaction which alone can give.
Only when justice flows in a land is Gods righteousness realized. Justice is the first demand
of love. Works of charity are not authentic Christian love when they maintain the position of the rich
as the donor and the poor as the recipient of that which are rightfully theirs in justice. Not until the
relationship of the rich and poor is based on justice and not on charity will the hunger for Gods
righteousness be satisfied.
A continuous desire for justice and moral perfection will lead one to a fulfillment of that desire
- a transition and conversion to holiness. This is true for all the virtues - if you hunger and thirst for
temperance, you will head towards the goal you have in mind. St. Augustine, in his discourse on the
Lord's Sermon on the Mount, notes the correspondence of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and their
necessity in fulfilling the Beatitudes. For example, one must have the gift of fortitude so one may be
courageous in seeking justice.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Mercy is the loving disposition towards those who suffer distress. Love, compassion,
and forgiveness towards one's neighbor will bring peace in your relationships. We say in
the Lord's Prayer: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
As we are merciful to others, so our Heavenly Father will be merciful with us! Jesus reminds
us that whatever "you did to the least of my brethren, you did it to me (Matthew 25:3146)." St. Paul calls for the obedience of faith in the beginning and end of his Letter to
the Romans (1:5, 16:25-27). The following are ways to be merciful to your neighbor, as
well as obedient in faith to Christ our Savior.
The Corporal Works of Mercy
1 Feed the Hungry
2 Give drink to the thirsty
3 Clothe the naked
4 Shelter the homeless
5 Comfort the imprisoned
6 Visit the sick
7 Bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

1 Admonish sinners
2 Instruct the uninformed
3 Counsel the doubtful
4 Comfort the sorrowful
5 Be patient with those in error
6 Forgive offenses
7 Pray for the living and the dead

Therefore, mercy means more than pity. It is not simply an emotion. It is an action
which entails the movement of ones heart for the suffering of others in a true and genuine
caring for them.
Gods mercy is the cause and condition of our mercy for others. Only those who have
known Gods mercy and compassion in Christ can be truly merciful and compassionate to
others.
God is not only merciful. God is mercy. The mercy of God is the deepest experience
of Gods love. It is the strongest power against the presence and power of evil in the world.
"Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."
Purity of heart refers not only to the chaste or to the sinless, for it is the calling of all men
and women to be pure of heart; it is every persons vocation to seek Gods will in all things. To be
pure of heart is to center ones life on God, in and through ones concern and compassion for
others.

To see God refers to the intimacy and communion with God of one who has totally lived
according to Gods will and plan. This grace and blessing, which satisfies the deepest human longing
is experienced here and now and will be perfectly fulfilled at the end of time.
As faithful called to act as the heart of the Church in the heart of the world, we are to be
pure of heart, centering all our work, relationships and commitments to God so that in us the
Church may fulfill her mission to renew the world with the values and vision of the faith.
Moses (Exodus 33:20), John (1:18), and Paul (1Timothy 6:16) all say that no one can see
God here on earth! But Jesus says the pure of heart shall see God! To be pure of heart means to be
free of all selfish intentions and self-seeking desires. What a beautiful goal! How many times have
any of us performed an act perfectly free of any personal gain? Such an act is pure love. An act of
pure and selfless giving brings happiness to all.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."
Peace liberates and unites people. Where the well-being of people in all aspects of life is
realized, there is true peace. But peace is made possible only by Gods grace present in men and
women who toil and labor for peace. Peace is both grace - a gift of God and a human task.
Peacemakers not only live peaceful lives but also try to bring peace and friendship to others,
and to preserve peace between God and man. St. Gregory of Nyssa calls a peacemaker a man who
brings peace to another; but one cannot give another what one does not possess oneself. Hence the
Lord wants you first to be yourself filled with the blessings of peace and then to communicate it to
those who have need of it. By imitating God's love of man, the peacemakers become children of
God.
A peacemaker is not a peacemaker. True peacemakers struggle against all the obstacles to
attain true peace, even if it may cost them their own safety or their lives. Peacekeepers are more
concerned about their reputation and convenience, given in to accommodation and compromises
which violate moral principles and values, destroying peace ultimately.
Peace is founded on love, justice and truth. When one of these human values is violated,
peace is not attained. Peace is a total and integral human reality.
"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Jesus said many times that those who follow Him will be persecuted. "If they persecute me,
they will persecute you" (John 15:20-21). Stephen, Peter and Paul, nearly all of the Apostles, and
many Christians in the Roman era suffered martyrdom. Endless conflicts in the last one hundred
years, such as World Wars l and ll, and the present War in Iraq have seen their share of martyrs,
such as Maximilian Kolbe, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Central American martyrs, and Middle East Christians.
St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in place of a stranger at the Auschwitz death camps on August
14, 1941. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who was hung on April 9, 1945 for condemning
the leadership of Hitler in Nazi Germany. One of the Central American martyrs was Oscar Romero,
Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated while saying Mass at Divine Providence Hospital
on March 24, 1980 for speaking out against government human rights violations. Christians in Iraq
have suffered severe persecution throughout the Iraq War. At least 58 Christians were slaughtered
at Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Eastern Catholic Church in Baghdad on October 31,
2010.
Thus, only a persecution for righteousness is blessed, for this is righteousness for Christ.
Suffering with and for Christ and suffering apart from and without Him are experientially different.
Suffering born of love and commitment is suffering which is truly united with the suffering of the
Crucified Christ. Such suffering is redemptive or others.
Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake are promised the reign of God. Since the
reign of God is the reality in the very person of Jesus, the reward is intimacy and communion with
Jesus in the here and now and its perfect fulfillment in the end of time.