📖Overview

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching and take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. They depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and characterize authentic Christian life. The Beatitudes are found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-26). They respond to the natural desire for happiness that God has placed in every human heart in order to draw us to Himself. This desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw us to the One who alone can fulfill it. The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human acts: God calls us to His own beatitude, to share in the divine life and happiness. The Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us: the Kingdom, the vision of God, participation in the divine nature, eternal life, filiation, and rest in God. The beatitude of eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God, a supernatural gift that depends entirely on God's grace. The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts and teach us to seek our happiness in God alone. They challenge worldly values and present a vision of life centered on humility, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and willingness to suffer for righteousness. The Beatitudes illuminate the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life and sustain hope in the midst of tribulations.

💡Key Points