YOUCAT Question n. 283 - What are the Beatitudes?
(Youcat
answer) Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is
great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt
5:3-12)
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 1718) The
Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of
divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the
One who alone can fulfill it: We all want to live happily; in the whole human
race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is
fully articulated (St. Augustine, De
moribus eccl. 1, 3, 4: PL 32,1312). How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord?
Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my
soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from
you (St. Augustine, Conf. 10, 20: PL
32, 791). God alone satisfies (St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in symb. Apost. I).
Reflecting and meditating
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 1719) The
Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human acts:
God calls us to his own beatitude. This vocation is addressed to each
individual personally, but also to the Church as a whole, the new people made
up of those who have accepted the promise and live from it in faith.
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