The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are the heart of the spiritual life. The beatitudes allow the Christian to walk in the atmosphere of the Kingdom of God, They make possible the command of Jesus, "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." The Prophet Isaiah referred to the gifts of the Spirit, which are closely associated with the beatitudes, to be characteristic of the Word Incarnate, the Messiah:"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:A spirit of wisdom and of understanding,A spirit of...
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The Beatitudes are the heart of the spiritual life. The beatitudes allow the Christian to walk in the atmosphere of the Kingdom of God, They make possible the command of Jesus, "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." The Prophet Isaiah referred to the gifts of the Spirit, which are closely associated with the beatitudes, to be characteristic of the Word Incarnate, the Messiah:"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:A spirit of wisdom and of understanding,A spirit of counsel and of strength,A spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,And his delight shall be the fear of the Lord." (Isa. 11:2-3a) Jesus lived the life of the beatitudes perfectly. In his example we see the perfect manifestation of the beatitudes and the gifts of the Spirit.In the following meditations we will consider each of the beatitudes in turn. We will draw upon the sacred scripture as well as the teachings of the Church and the Saints. This is not a theological treatise, but it can be seen as a window opening out into the world of the Beatitudes. There is a vast amount of literature from the Saints written about the beatitudes. In these meditations there will only be sufficient reflection to get one started on a lifelong study.