Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice: they shall have their fill. —Matthew 5:6 This Beatitude is surely both spiritual and social. Most Bibles to this day soften this Beatitude: “hunger and thirst for what is right” or “for righteousness” are the more common faulty translations. But the word in Greek clearly means “justice.” Notice that […]

‘Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted’. Mathew 5:4 Tears are therapeutic and healing, both emotionally and physically. Crying helps the body shed stress hormones and stimulates endorphins. Weeping is a natural and essential part of being human. Eknath Easwaran writes: We can spend the better part of our lives attempting to construct […]

Blessed are the gentle [or the meek, humble, non-violent, unassuming]: they shall have the earth as inheritance. —Matthew 5:5 This Beatitude is a quote from Psalm 37:11: “the humble shall have the land for their own.” Some translate it “the nonviolent.” The translation perhaps most familiar is “the meek.” It is the unique power of the […]

Kahlil Gibran, author of The Prophet, paraphrases the Beatitudes beautifully: ‘Blessed are the serene in spirit. Blessed are they who are not held by possessions for they shall be free. Blessed are they who remember their pain, and in their pain await their joy. Blessed are they who hunger after truth and beauty, for their […]

Bob Ekblad Followers of Jesus have a spiritual obligation to bring into the light offenses or injustices otherwise hidden from sight. While discernment is certainly needed in knowing how and when to speak, prohibiting leaks is like silencing the prophets, who in Scripture carried out a function in Israel similar yet far beyond that of […]

If you were raised Christian, you are probably familiar with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). They’re one of most commonly memorized texts in Sunday school (along with the Ten Commandments and the Twenty-third Psalm). These eight short sayings (called “beatitudes” because they all begin with the phrase “Blessed are . . .”) lay out Jesus’ core […]

Franciscan spirituality proceeds from the counterintuitive spirituality of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Read them and see how Francis exemplifies each one so well. While the Ten Commandments are about creating social order (a good thing), the eight Beatitudes of Jesus are all about incorporating what seems like disorder, a very different level of consciousness. With the Beatitudes, there […]

You’re blessed when you hit rock bottom. Because then you can rely on God to go to work for you. You’re blessed when you mourn. That means you feel compassion and empathy for others. You begin to understand that we are all one. You’re blessed when you are humble and authentic. That is worth way […]

The Pope has offered a new list of Beatitudes at a Catholic Mass in Malmo, Sweden. At the Mass, which took place at the conclusion of his ecumenical trip to the country, Pope Francis highlighted the lives of the Swedish saints Elizabeth Hesselblad and Bridget of Vadstena. The best description of the saints, their “identity […]

Eric Simpson The principles of the Beatitudes are missing in the contemporary Church, regardless of affiliation, and in the world. Maybe one of the problems is that the Beatitudes seem strange and even sappy to contemporary ears, or as small comforts to big problems. Another may be that few Christians, including myself, are able to […]

Nadia Bolz Weber This Summer when I was at the Greenbelt Festival in the UK, I stood on the top of a tall grassy hill and I and 2 of my dear friends, Padraig and Doug[1], each preached on the beatitudes. The event was called Sermons on the Mount and it was my very favorite […]

“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” ― Amy Carmichael