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Life Ways The Joy of the Kingdom excerpted from The
Beatitudes: Seeking the Joy of God's Kingdom, "Beatitude" means "perfect happiness." True happiness is a gift from God, a blessing from his goodness. That is why I prefer to translate the beatitudes as "blessed" rather than as "happy." In each beatitude, Jesus states a certain requirement for receiving this blessing from God, then describes that perfect happiness. For example, genuine happiness consists in seeing God, and seeing God requires purity of heart. Again, happiness consists in possessing the kingdom of God, and possessing the kingdom requires poverty of spirit. In the beatitudes, Jesus presents various qualities of life in that kingdom, different aspects of its perfect happiness. In the kingdom, all who have mourned will find their tears wiped away; those who hunger and thirst for justice will find it; the merciful will receive God's mercy. The kingdom will bring the joy of being with God and seeing him in his glory. There, all God's children will dwell together, at home in their Father's house, enjoying one another in peace. Although the happiness of the beatitudes will be perfect only in heaven, it begins even on earth for those who live its demands. These requirements for entering the Father's joy in the kingdom call us to a new way of life. They provide the moral foundation for fullness of life in the Holy Spirit. This doesn't mean that the beatitudes require only observing the moral law or practicing the virtues such as temperance and justice. The beatitudes do not give specific details about things to do or virtues to practice. No, they go deeper than that. The requirements of the beatitudes are basic life attitudes. They form our fundamental outlook so that our way of living springs from them. They orient the human heart toward true happiness. We can begin to taste this happiness now, although in this life it will never be perfect. The beatitudes "promise fullness of life in God's kingdom. They are primarily eschatological, though there may be some anticipation of the reward in the present" (Harrington, p. 83). In presenting the beatitudes, Jesus puts before us this true goal of life. In telling us how to find happiness, Jesus shows us how our whole being strives toward this authentic happiness. God bestows this peace of heart on those who are rightly disposed to receive it by doing what Jesus asks. Beatitude consists in possessing God in intimate union. The beatitudes show us how to be open to receive God's blessings. Humble openness to God's action in our lives builds a strong foundation for Christian living, like a house built on rock that can withstand even a hurricane (cf. Mt 7:24-27). This receptivity, this trusting hope in God, expects everything from him. Though they utterly depend on God, those who live the eight beatitudes are not weaklings. They are strong and courageous, the strongest of the strong. Yet this presupposes that we know our profound neediness and utter poverty before God. When we experience our littleness as children before God, the humility of the poor in spirit will grow in us. Jesus will bless us as he did the children who came to him: "He took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them" (Mk 10:16). Joyfully accepting Jesus, our saving God present among us, opens us to receive the beatitude only God can give. We are blessed, happy, joyful, because Jesus the messiah brings us the beatitude of the kingdom. The poor and needy, the sorrowful and the persecuted, find happiness and blessing because God cares about them, providing for their needs. In its literary form, a beatitude expresses joy over another's good fortune. Beatitudes "do not confer a blessing but recognize an existing state of happiness or blessing; they are an approving proclamation, often signifying that eschatological joy has come" (brown, p. 333, note 42). Thus Elizabeth cries out to Mary, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Lk 1:45 nab). Luke's version makes it clear that the beatitudes are cries of congratulation. In Luke's gospel, Jesus congratulates the poor and needy. He addresses them directly, saying: Blessed are you who are poor... Blessed are you who are hungry now... Blessed are you who weep now... Blessed are you when people hate you... (Lk 6:20-22). You poor, you hungry, you sorrowing, you who are persecuted can rejoice because God cares about you. Jesus, the messiah sent by God, responds to your poverty and hunger, your weeping and oppression. The Sermon on the Mount thus begins with a cry of joy that the messiah has brought the kingdom of God near. In eight ways, the beatitudes cry out our joyful, grateful acceptance of our saving God. The beatitudes call for joyful hope. In our poverty and neediness, we open ourselves wide to God's saving presence in Christ, trusting he will take care of us. "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it" (Ps 81:10). Ultimately, we need the salvation Christ gives not only because we are creatures, but because we are sinners. Our most dire neediness stems from sin, which cuts us off from God, who gives us life and well-being. "Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me" (Jn 15:4). In our neediness as little ones, we totally depend on God our Father in trust and hope. We hunger and thirst for the righteousness that God alone can give. We look to him for consolation when life disappoints us, knowing our present life cannot bring perfect happiness. We reach out to God in our sinful failures and hope for mercy. The beatitudes essentially call for openness to God in faith, hope and trust, so that he can be our beatitude. The morality of the beatitudes hinges on developing the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. These three form our fundamental moral stance. Secondarily, the beatitudes also involve practicing the moral virtues, beginning with humility and meekness. These characterize our hope in God. Because we trust so completely in God we can be meek and gentle toward all, free from vindictive anger. Because we trust in God our mourning is tempered by patience and the joy of hope. Trust in God leads to the temperance that uses food, drink and sex as God intends, without making them the center of our lives. Trusting in God and his care for us makes it much easier to deal justly with others, for we do not rely on lying, cheating and stealing. All these virtues work together to bring about the purity of heart necessary for seeing God. Go to The Beatitudes: Seeking the Joy of God's Kingdom in our online catalog.
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