This year, All Saints will fall on Sunday. The gospel for this
distinct day gives us what we know as the Eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the
Mount. It is, in fact, a charter for holiness. When we think of holiness, we
often think of keeping the Ten Commandments and perhaps some other requirements
of the Church like going to Mass on Sundays or fasting during Lent. What we
might forget is that the Ten Commandments belong to the Old Testament and are
part of the Jewish law. Of course, they are still valid, and Jesus said clearly
that he had not come to abolish the Jewish law but to fulfil it.
The Beatitudes are the fulfilling of the Law. The Beatitudes go far
beyond the Ten Commandments in what is expected of a follower of Christ. More
people would spontaneously report that they rank their Christian life based on
the Commandment rather than on the Beatitudes. We normally examine our
conscience before Confession using the Ten Commandments not the Beatitudes.
Yet, it is clear from their position in Matthew’s gospel
that the Beatitudes have a central place. They are like a mission statement
saying what kind of person the good Christian should be. They describe holiness
according to Jesus. Let’s remind ourselves
of the Beatitudes.
1)
Poor in Spirit. They are those
who are aware of their spiritual poverty and fragility and of how much they
need the help and support of God as opposed to those who foolishly claim
independence and full control of their lives.
2)
Meekness: The meek are those who
submit to God’s authority and make Jesus their Lord. The meek are imitators of
Jesus Christ who exemplified gentleness and self-control.
3)
Mourning: Those who are in
grief or sorrow for their sins, the injustice in society, and the divisions of
the world.
4)
Hungering for What Is Right:
Whatever the price, they will work that everyone will be given what is their
due to live a life of dignity and self-respect. The price they may have to pay
could be high, even life itself.
5)
Merciful: They are those who
extend compassion and forgiveness to all. We reap what we sow. Those who
demonstrate mercy will receive mercy.
6)
Being Pure in Heart: This does
not refer to sexual purity but rather to a simplicity and total absence of
duplicity, of prejudice or bias. Not surprisingly, they are described as being
able to see God.
7)
Peacemakers: These are people
who help to break down the many barriers which divide people – whether class, occupation, race, religion or whatever creates
violence between individuals or groups. God sent Jesus to break down the
barriers between God and his people and between people themselves.
8)
Willing to Suffer: These are
the brave who have the strength and courage to put the values of truth and love
and justice for all, as taught by Jesus, above their own survival.
This is holiness as described by Jesus. These are the values and
qualities which made a saint, and which will make saints of us too. They go
beyond the Ten Commandments. If taken literally, the Commandments can be kept
and not with great difficulty. Many of them are expressed in the negative, “You shall NOT…” so we can observe
them by doing nothing at all! “I have not killed
anyone… I have not committed adultery… I have not
stolen…” Does that make me a saint? Being a Christian is more than not doing
nothing. The Beatitudes are expressed in positive, active terms. No matter how
well I try to observe them, I can always go further. They leave no room for
smugness, the kind of smugness the Pharisees had in keeping the Law. The
Beatitudes are a true and reliable way to holiness.
Saints are not sinless, but the lives of saints do reflect the
reality of the presence of Christ in our hearts, in whom we “live and move and have our being” (Acts
17:28).