The Beatitudes

I am sure that we are all familiar with the Beatitudes that form the bulk of the Gospel for the Solemnity of All Saints.  They are frequently referred to as “the eight Beatitudes,” and they are the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount.  However, it may interest you to know that there are some 80 Beatitudes scattered throughout the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Christian (New Testament) Scriptures.  Some people erroneously call them the “new” commandments for those who call themselves Christian.  Actually, they are Wisdom statements.  A couple of examples from other Scriptures might help you understand a little better:

“While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.’  He replied, ‘Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.’”  (Luke 11: 27-28)

“Children too are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward.   Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in one's youth.   Blessed are they whose quivers are full. They will never be shamed contending with foes at the gate.”  (Psalm 127)

Wisdom statements speak to all sorts of issues.  They help us to lead more productive and happier lives.  While we translate the first word of these statements as “Blessed” or “Happy,” another way of translating them, perhaps a little more accurately, would be “Truly honorable” or “Highly esteemed.”  Of course, these latter translations betray the way these statements figure into the cultural forces of “honor” and “shame” which drive this society.  The people of the Middle East pursued “honor” and avoided “shame” in all of their behaviors.

The notion that sets the Beatitudes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount apart from the usual viewpoint is the fact that they acknowledge that true honor comes not from other human beings but from God.  Consequently, they contradict the basic theology of reciprocity that is so much a part of this culture.  In other words, if one wishes to pursue honor, one should not be too concerned with the way the world views things.  Rather, the wise person who seeks true honor looks to God as its source.

The eight Beatitudes can be divided into two groups.  The first four statements speak to one’s attitude while the second four are more action oriented.  All eight of them are summed up in the final statement which makes it very clear that true honor comes from God:  “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:11-12)  We have heard this proclaimed throughout the Gospels in a much shorter formula: “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.”  Instead of a theology of reciprocity, Jesus teaches us a theology of the reversal of fortunes.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator