Meditating on the Beatitudes
One of my favorite authors of books that are excellent spiritual reading is Jacques Philippe. I have just started one of his recent books, “The Eight Doors of the Kingdom: Meditations on the Beatitudes.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this about the Beatitudes, “The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven”
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
These promises have always made me feel more secure even when I have suffered from anxiety and worry. I don’t know about you but today’s world seems to be an increasingly crazy place. So many people are only focused on themselves and don’t want any restrictions on what makes them “feel” good in the moment. However, that’s just not realistic. In fact, as we see so many strange laws and regulations being created, we’re losing personal freedoms and natural rights. It’s easy to despair and become depressed about this if you focus on it too much. Instead, I’m already finding that meditating on the Beatitudes helps release the worry, anger, hopelessness of our crazy world where I hear more and more people saying, “You just can’t make this up!” at the latest story making headlines.
So, I highly recommend this book for spiritual reading and hope you might find the same kind of value for your meditations.