359. How do we attain beatitude?
(Comp 359) We attain beatitude by virtue of the grace of Christ which makes us
participants in the divine life. Christ in the Gospel points out to his
followers the way that leads to eternal happiness: the beatitudes. The grace of
Christ also is operative in every person who, following a correct conscience,
seeks and loves the true and the good and avoids evil.
“In brief”
(CCC 1727) The beatitude of
eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural, as is the grace
that leads us there.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1716)
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 (Mt 5:3-12).
Reflection
(CCC 2546) "Blessed
are the poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3). The Beatitudes reveal an order of
happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor,
to whom the Kingdom already belongs (Cf. Lk 6:20): The Word speaks of voluntary
humility as "poverty in spirit"; the Apostle gives an example of
God's poverty when he says: "For your sakes he became poor" (St.
Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus
1: PG 44, 1200D; cf. 2 Cor 8:9).
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