The Way of the Beatitudes

"Count your blessings!" When we do, how often do we do so in terms of things: I own a nice home, a nice car, I have a secure job, a nice nest egg, etc., etc., etc. The Beatitudes in today's gospel (Matthew 5:1-12a) assess blessings in an entirely different way, as attitudes and behaviors that are a sign of the presence of God's kingdom. Even more: the Beatitudes identify us as God's primary blessings in the world:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit...

• Blessed are those who mourn...

• Blessed are the meek...

• Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

• Blessed are the merciful...

• Blessed are the clean of heart...

• Blessed are the peacemakers...

• Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness...

• Blessed are you, when they insult...and persecute...and utter every kind of insult...

Not exactly a list of highly successful people by today's standards.

Photo by the author.

In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus calls us to a new way of being and living; indeed, he teaches a new covenant. He reverses our normal expectations of our "blessings" -- what will make us happy in this world. It is not what we have, but who we are, how we live, and how we relate to others that leads us to the ultimate satisfaction: our blessedness as those who dwell within the kingdom of heaven:

• Blessed are they who check on and assist an elderly neighbor in the cold...

• Blessed are they who help a pregnant immigrant mother find a midwife because she's afraid to leave her home to give birth in a hospital...

• Blessed are they who make elections about issues instead of which candidate has the most money...

• Blessed are they who actively foster reconciliation, resolve conflicts, and create harmony...

• Blessed are they who stand up for those demonized and persecuted by their government...

  
  

In living the Beatitudes, we evangelize, we proclaim the unexpected yet wonderful Good News! Pope Leo, in his homily on the Vigil of Pentecost, said that "Evangelization ... is not our attempt to conquer the world, but the infinite grace that radiates from lives transformed by the Kingdom of God. It is the way of the Beatitudes, a path that we tread together, between the “already” and the “not yet,” hungering and thirsting for justice, poor in spirit, merciful, meek, pure of heart, men and women of peace. Jesus himself chose this path: to follow it, we have no need of powerful patrons, worldly compromises, or emotional strategies. Evangelization is always God’s work. If at times it takes place through us, it is thanks to the bonds that it makes possible."

The Beatitudes call for a radical rethinking of our needs, wants and pleasures. Real happiness lies in the gift of blessedness that only God gives.