Ave Maria!
All Saints Day - 1 November AD 2012
“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”[1]
Ordinary of the Mass
Mass Text - Latin
Mass Text - English
Every year, on All Saints day, we read this list called “the Beatitudes” from our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Actually we hear them a few times a year if we attend daily Mass. These are taken from Saint Matthew’s account, and there is a similar list in Saint Luke’s Gospel. In fact yesterday’s Mass for the Vigil of All Saints has Luke’s account for its Gospel.[2]
While the New Testament certainly does not abolish the Commandments, we can think of the Beatitudes as a sort of “positive version” of the Commandments. Instead of “thou shalt not,” the Beatitudes suggest a number of positive behaviors for which the Christian will be rewarded—the things that we should do, and the attitudes we should have. I would like to go over them briefly, for sometimes they are twisted by Modernists to mean something quite different from that intended by our Lord.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit are not necessarily poor or rich in economic terms, but what makes them blessed is their acceptance of whatever state in life they find themselves in. If they are economically poor, they don’t complain, and they certainly don’t do anything immoral to better their condition. If they are wealthy, they do not boast about their wealth, nor claim it is a sign of divine favor—they are generous with their wealth in helping the poor and the society in which they live. The essence of this Beatitude is humility.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.” The meek are not the afraid, nor are they the socially awkward—they are the self-controlled. Those who show little anger, who do not threaten, nor seek revenge. They are Christ-like in their outward demeanor. Their conquering of self makes them powerful in earthly affairs, and makes their path to heaven straight and direct.
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” In this sense, the mourners are not those who bewail lost friends and relatives as much they are those who bewail mankind’s loss of devotion to God and His holy things. They are those who do penance not only for their own sins but for the sins of those around them who do no penance. Ultimately, they will be comforted.
“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill.” “Justice” is one of those words constantly abused by Modernists. In truth, “justice” means equality before the law, and making sure that everyone is given his due, and able to keep what is his. For the Modernist it is redistribution of income; a Robin Hood-like theft from the makers to give to the takers—which is blatantly unjust. Those who seek true justice will have their fill, for they are seeking the same thing God seeks.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” “Mercy” here refers to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy—feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, ministering to the sick, counseling the doubtful, instructing the ignorant, and so on. The merciful will obtain mercy from God, and, most likely, from the merciful society they help to create.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” This goes beyond the keeping of the Commandments to keeping one’s self free from thoughts and desires contrary to the Commandments, conforming one’s will to God’s will, and seeing God in all His creations. Such souls will be privileged with the most exalted vision of God Himself when they behold Him in the Beatific Vision.
“Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God.” True peace means peace with one’s own conscience, a tranquil relationship with all comers, and a ready willingness to do the will of God in order to please Him. “Peace” like “justice” is a word much misused in the modern world, where it often is corrupted to mean submission to the ruling elite, and even to world domination.
“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Saint Luke says it a bit more forcefully, and perhaps a bit more to the point: “Blessed shall you be when men hate you, and when they shut you out, and reproach you, and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” Our Lord was hated by the worldly, for He seemed to be against everything they loved—wealth, lust, power, human respect, and so on. In this beatitude we are called upon to imitate Christ in every aspect of our lives, knowing full well that we will be persecuted for being like Him. We are called upon to be part of the Church-militant, and not part of the Church-comfortable, in order to insure for ourselves a part in the Church triumphant.
“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
