The Beatitudes sum up Jesus’ teaching about what it means to live as a child of God. They can be described as the manifesto of his Kingdom; the foundations and characteristics of the Kingdom. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those persecuted because of righteousness are those who have pursued God by rejecting pride and self-sufficiency, which is the path of sin and idolatry. They are indeed blessed, because Jesus invites them to respond to his message of the arrival of the Kingdom. The happiness spoken of in the Beatitudes is God’s blessing granted to those who choose to be disciples. It is a result of the realization of a person’s spiritual poverty and an acknowledgment of one’s total dependence on God. We can live out the declarations of the beatitudes by judging less, seeing ourselves in others who are struggling and extending to others the grace we have received.

PRAYER: Abba Father, grant me the grace to reject pride and self-sufficiency, and respond to your call by living the values of the Beatitudes. Amen.