Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God
ASSIGNED READING
54 What Christian value is expressed by the first Beatitude?
We have seen how it is from the heart that good or evil intentions emerge. Good or evil is in our attitudes. Sin is a false attitude of mind and heart. The Law of Christ to love God and neighbor is expressed in the Beatitudes (see Matthew 5). We will look at each of the eight Beatitudes in turn; for they uniquely contain the attitudes of the Christian whose following of Christ means happiness.
The first Beatitude is: Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This attitude (that of the poor) is one of total dependence upon God our Father. It is an attitude of constantly turning toward God in prayer, in worship. This worship begins in our hearts and in our homes; its climax is the Sunday Eucharist.
When Saint Paul instructs us to "pray constantly" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), he means us to take this attitude of dependence on God into every moment of our everyday life. This means recognizing that the world and all it contains has been entrusted to us to build up into an acceptable offering to God.
In this way the Christian builds up and possesses the kingdom of God on earth.
The Christian law is summarized in the Beatitudes. Many, perhaps, find this disappointing. After all, if we want to know whether a particular action is sinful, it's a great deal easier to refer to, say, the Sixth Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," than to the sixth beatitude which refers to the "blessedness of the pure in heart." The Commandments are clear. They tell us what's right and what's wrong. For many, the Beatitudes are a little vague. They donıt seem to tell us exactly where we stand with God.
The truth is that the Commandments only deal with our actions. The Beatitudes go deeper. They deal with our attitudes. They go to the heart of our Christian belief. Right attitudes will always produce right actions. Right actions, on the other hand, do not always mean right attitudes; and, in fact self-satisfaction with our "good behavior can result in the most fatal disease of our Christian faith, self-righteousness.
If we want to know where we stand with God then the Commandments are not in themselves a reliable guide. Jesus sat down to eat with tax collectors and sinners. These were "the poor in spirit." They needed help and they knew it. And so they were the ones to receive help. They were the ones closest to God.
It is the Beatitudes which tell us where we stand with God. And they are far from vague. They are very clear. In them, Jesus shows us that we are not to live according to a set of laws but by an inner revolution of attitude and outlook. In a startling reversal of the world's standards, Jesus proposes poverty, meekness, even tears of sadness and repentance in this life. Only these will create a ³heaven on earth.²
This contradiction needs an explanation. How for example, can one be poor but possess all things? How can one mourn and, at the same time, be comforted?
Christ realized that it is only when we are destitute, with no pride or self-satisfaction left in us, that we will turn to him. And only he can give true happiness. This isn't easy to understand or to follow.
Archbishop Bloom gives an illustration that may help us. If we say, "I have this watch, it is mine," and then close our hand over it, we have gained a watch. But we have lost the use of a hand! We become so intent to keep the watch that we barely notice the high price paid for it.
While we clutch at earthly values we barely notice the high price paid them. For they prevent us from approaching Christ; they give us the feeling that we are secure without him.
The Beatitudes powerfully express the principal message of the Gospel. For they are a promise to us that if we free ourselves from our human ambitions and attachments true happiness will be ours.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2084 - 2141
HOW A CATHOLIC LOOKS AT MORALITY
It is from the heart that good or evil intentions emerge. Good or evil is in our attitudes.
God sees our heart, or attitudes, and He judges us accordingly.
For a Catholic attempting to live a life in accordance with the teachings of Christ, it is not the physical nature of the outward act that is so important --- it is the attitude which led to the performance of that act.
Sin is a false attitude of mind and heart.
The Law of Christ to love God and neighbor is expressed in the Beatitudes. See Matthew 5:3-12. We will look at each of the eight Beatitudes in turn, for they uniquely contain the attitudes of the Christian whose following of Christ means happiness.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God
2. Blessed are the meek for they shall possess the land..
3. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.
8. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
QUIZ
The following questions are based on the assigned Scripture passage, the selections covered in the ILLUSTRATED CATECHISM, and on common sense. Pick the best answer for each question.
54-1. T F Besides the Beatitudes, there are also A-attitudes and C-attitudes.
54-2. Being poor in spirit means:
a. not being spiritually endowed.
b. being totally dependent upon God our Father
c. being bereft of spiritual grace.
54-3. The 10 Commandments deal primarily with actions: the Beatitudes deal with our attitudes
a. True
b. False
54-4. What is the most fatal disease to threaten our Christian faith?
a. Self-righteousness
b. Left-handedness
c. Cirrhosis of the soul
d. Self-satisfaction
54-5. Circle those groups in the Gospel that could be called "poor in spirit". Can you explain why?
a. Levites
b. Sanhedrin
c. High Priests
d. Tax Collectors
e. Pharisees
f. Fishermen
g. Scribes
h. Sinners
i. Cohort
54-6. "It is only when we are destitute, with no pride or self-satisfaction left in us that we will turn to Christ." This statement taken from the ILLUSTRATED CATECHISM could best be described as:
a. Ascetical theology
b. Moral theology
c. Dogmatic theology
54-7. What were the first words of Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry? (Mt 4:17)
a. Blessed are the poor in spirit
b. Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.
c. Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
d. Love one another.
54-8. The best synonym for "actual sin" is:
a. Original sin
b. Mortal sin
c. My personal sin
54-9. The most important factor in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (or "confession" as we used to call it) is:
a. Recalling my sins
b. Knowing the Act of Contrition by heart
c. Saying how long it has been since my last confession
d. Being sorry for my sins
e. God's grant of forgiveness
NOTEBOOK
1. Copy the daily scripture readings with a brief summary of the passage.
2. Make a list of questions that come out of your reading on this chapter and bring them up to your sponsor.
VOCABULARY
Agnosticism = Claims one cannot know whether God exists or not.
Atheism = Denial of God's existence. Secularist. Appears not to care about God's existence. superstition, a magic mentality, idolatry, irreligion, atheism, and agnosticism (See Catechism, #2110- 2128 and 2138-2140).
Grace = favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life (Catechism 1987, 1996; see also 1987-2005).
The grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse us from our sins and to communicate to us the "righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ" and through Baptism (Rom 3:22)
Sacrilege = the deliberate mistreating of sacred persons, places or things.
Sin = an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor.... It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law (Catechism, #1849; see also 1846-1876).
Superstition = attributing to a creature a power that belongs to God alone, as when one makes use of a charm or spells, fortune-telling or goes to spiritists.
FAITH-SHARING GROUP
1. What link can I see between the first commandment and the beginning of the Apostles' Creed? What are the signs in my life that affirm my faith in God? How does my idea of God differ from when I was a child?
2. What kind of a case for God's existence would I make to an atheist, agnostic, or secularist? It has been said, "Win an argument and lose a soul. How would that affect my witnessing of my faith?
DAILY PRAYER