 Below are excerpts from various online sources. Please follow the
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were excerpted.
 " The eight Beatitudes are considered so many slices of one
fine jewel. There is little to distinguish them one from the other.
The Nazarene could have added one or subtracted one and still the
total message would be the same. No one would have been wiser. James
Lowell has suggested He should have added, "Blessed are they
who have nothing to say and cannot be persuaded to say it."
-- from an homily by Father James Gilhooley - 4 Ord Time Matthew
5, 1-12
"The
Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his
charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with
the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the
actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they
are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations;
they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however
dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the
Virgin Mary and all the saints." (C.C.C.
# 1717)
"I
must go beyond the simple external observance of the law. It's not
enough for me not to sin. I must take a stand "for something."
And, the way to begin is for me to have the right "internal"
disposition, an attitude about the way I want to live my life and
an attitude about my relationship with God and with my neighbor."
-- from Inspirational Words Archive - I will take on the attitude
of Christ.
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"Believe
it or not, one of the principles of Catholic theology is that God
himself is the source of our desire for happiness. He has placed
in our hearts a desire for happiness, and all of us seek what is
called the sumum bonum, the greatest good, perfect happiness, which
is God himself. So God is the source of our desire for happiness,
and he is the end, the attainment
of our happiness." -- from an Homily from Fr. Paul D. Williams,
Jr. - Homily, 4th Sunday OT A, (1/28/96, St. Pius, PDW)
"The
beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to
the world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly
find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? Poverty
of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God as the greatest
treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength
in God's word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and
sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and spiritual
oppression. God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of
abundant life and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the
joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships
they can expect in this world. Thomas Aquinas said: No one can live
without joy. That is why a person deprived of spiritual joy goes
after carnal pleasures. Do you know the happiness of hungering and
thirsting for God alone?" -- by Don Schwager in Daily
Reading & Meditation
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