The first and second Beatitudes are closely related in that they share some similarities. According to the pope, the first Beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven," means that they are the "true Israel" and are disciples of Christ (p.75). The second Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall posses the land," expresses that the people of Israel were poor and put into exile, in which Moses delivers them and leads them to the promise land. The poor are grateful for what they have and ask for nothing more. They do not care about having the best things in the world and they are very strong in their faith. Israel knew that God would come and save them and they believed.
The third Beatitude is about the people who mourn: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Those who mourn not for themselves but for others, "open the windows of the world to let the light in (p.87). Meaning, they believe in God enough to go through some suffering in order to enter his kingdom. The eighth Beatitude is "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In the gospel of Matthew, the Lord foretells the situation of the church which they were living through. The church has become a persecuted church "for righteousness' sake" (p. 88). This means man is and will always be looking for God, so he will stumble along the way because man cannot easily find God.
The Beatitudes are related to Christ and discipleship in that they are all connected with each other and with the Ten Commandments. The disciple decides to dedicate his life to the Beatitudes in order to live a more Christ-like life. "The disciple is bound to the mystery of Christ. His life is immersed in communion with Christ" (p.74). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,"(Gal 2:20) is the lifestyle the disciple starts to lead. Christ says to follow him and the disciple does so by becoming poor in selling all of his belongings, becoming meek, and having a humble heart. The disciple mourns for others, gives mercy, and tries to make peace among himself and others.
The Beatitudes are not laws to follow along with the Ten Commandments. They are meant as gifts to be received from God after living a Christ-like lifestyle. As Jesus said in Matthew chapter five verses seventeen to eighteen, he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it with the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes complete the Ten Commandments. By following them we will find salvation with our Lord Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment