[Pearls Ep 156: Preparing for Sunday.]
The Sunday we encounter the beatitudes (copied in the postscript as well).
The beatitudes are presented as perfected actions and corresponding blessings.
The first three beatitudes (blessed are the poor, the mourners and the meek) are particularly relevant to purifying “that bothersome thing I call ‘myself’” (as the great Saint Thomas More put it) – so we shall look at them a little deeper.
Beatitude implies an inner peace and true happiness that is complete and enduring. Poverty, mourning and meekness – those don’t leap out as the key ingredients for happiness. But then, the Creator of this recipe is the One who said, “See, I am doing something new!”
The beatitudes have several “orders” or “degrees” to how they operate (in the words of spiritual master Fr. Garrigou-LaGrange). They can interpreted relative to our interior life, and also the outside world.
Poverty can be physical poverty – if we are poor (or to a certain extent if we live as if we were), then we depend on God for everything at the most basic level. But we can also have interior poverty – acknowledging that however talented we might be, however many letters we might have after our name, however many people might follow us on social media, we can do nothing good without God’s grace.
It is similar with mourning. We can certainly mourn all the injustice and cruelty in the world. It’s a beautiful thing to offer prayers of reparation for our fallen world. But the more we reflect on it, we see much to mourn in our own soul – and we’re grateful for the comfort that comes with repentance.
The beatitudes also build on one another. We begin at the beginning, with recognizing our poverty. And when we do that and take a good, close look at ourselves, it is then that we mourn all the shortcomings, both interior and in the world. But then, if we’re not careful, in our pride and resentment we want to lash out at offenses both internal and external – it is then that we need meekness to follow God’s justice and His mercy, rather than our anger.
The beatitudes operate different from virtues. We don’t “practice” the beatitudes so much as recognize ways that God is guiding us to grow in them. Where do you see yourself growing in poverty, mourning or meekness?
On Monday and Tuesday we’ll look more at the surprising promises of the beatitudes, and how we cultivate the beatitudes in the overall landscape of our interior life.
Until then – wishing you a taste of beatitude this weekend –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: The Beatitudes – Mt 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 they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”