THE BEATITUDES

The Secret to Happiness

 Beatitude, from the
Latin word "beatitudo,"
means happiness.
What are the Beatitudes?
● The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-10)

● If we live according to the Beatitudes, we will live a happy Christian

life describe the rewards that will be ours as loyal followers of Christ.

● The Beatitudes are the roadmap Jesus gives to us to help us find

the utmost bliss, or happiness, in this world and in the next
But it goes against what we think of
when we think of happiness.
The Beatitudes "are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the
midst of tribulation (CCC 1717)”

• The Beatitudes are difficult for us to understand because they are the
opposite of everything that the world we live in pushes us to believe →
that in order to be happy, we have to be rich, own a huge home, be
physically attractive, have an extensive wardrobe, etc.

Like any bad habit, we have to break away from this way of thinking and follow
instead the blueprint of The Beatitudes. If we can do it, we’ll have the full
blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven to look forward to.
1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
What does this look like?
• Includes literal poor people, and spiritually poor

What does it mean to be spiritually poor?

- To acknowledge one’s need and dependence on God
- Humility is realizing that all our gifts and blessings are given to us
by God, so they do all for the glory of God.

To be poor in spirit means to be humble before God

 1. “Blessed are
the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the
kingdom of
Heaven.”
“Who are you, Lord my
God, and who am I?”

Saint Francis of Assisi

2. “Blessed are those who mourn, for
they shall be comforted.
What does this look like?
• Those who mourn could be anyone who is sad or
experiencing a loss of any kind. Jesus promises
comfort for those who suffer.

We are to mourn not only the violence, hatred, and

injustices present in this world, but also our sins and the
sins of others.

People who patiently endure all trials that come

from God or for His sake
 2. “Blessed are
those who
mourn, for they
shall be
comforted.”
Prayed unceasingly for the
conversion of her son, St.
Augustine

Saint Monica
3. “Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the land.”
What does this look like?
• The meek are people who are humble and patient. The meek aren’t violent,
vengeful, or willing to exploit others.
• It is a virtue that opposes the vice of anger. When we are overcome by
anger, we lose that sense of ourselves that allows God to dwell within us.
Anger excludes God; meekness invites His presence.

Meekness does not equal weakness.

To be meek means to be have a spirit of gentleness and self-control.
It prevents evil from completely overcoming the person who is already
suffering enough from evil.
 3. “Blessed are
the meek, for
they will inherit
the land.”
“Dear Lord, you know my weakness. Each
morning I resolve to be humble, and in the
evening, I recognize that I’ve often been
guilty of pride.”

Saint Therese of Lisieux

4. “Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will
be satisfied.”
What does this look like?
• Jesus doesn’t mean literally going without food or drink -- He’s
referring to one’s passion and drive to do God’s will.

This blessing is for people who hunger for justice in our world.
 4. “Blessed are they
who hunger and
thirst for
righteousness, for
they will be
satisfied.”
Bosco dedicated himself to rescuing his boys and meeting
their needs.
- He brought them to Christ and the church. He did it gently
and lovingly, without force.
- He never required the boys to go to Confession, for
example; his magnetic kindness drew them to his
Saint John Bosco confessional. He related to them like the Father relates to
us—with tenderness and grace.
5. “Blessed are the merciful; they will
be shown mercy.”
What does this look like?
• Forgiveness, kindness, compassion-- It is easier to extend mercy to others
when you begin with yourself.
• Like the phrase in the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us…” -- those who are merciful to
others (treat them with kindness and forgiveness) will be shown mercy.

Rather than keeping track of mistakes, we try to see God’s grace among us.
With mercy, you receive back the more you give.
 5. “Blessed are
the merciful;
they will be
shown mercy.”
“I want to be completely transformed into
Your mercy and to be Your living
reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all
divine attributes, that of Your
unfathomable mercy, pass through my
heart and soul to my neighbor.”
Saint Faustina
6. “Blessed are the pure in heart;
they shall see God.”
What does this look like?
• A pure heart is one that shows acts of love and mercy, and beats for
righteousness and justice. There is no hatred or jealousy in a pure
heart.
• The clean of heart can also be people who single-mindedly see God first
in all situations and people.

The little ones are a beautiful example of purity in their heart. They lack malice
and have such innocence, at least during the first few years. Of course, they
see God, because there is nothing clouding their vision!
 6. “Blessed are the
pure in heart; they
shall see God.”
Chose to forgive her murderer instead of
holding onto anger, showed him love and
mercy despite what he did

Saint Maria Goretti

7. “Blessed are the peacemakers,
they will be called children of God.”
What does this look like?
• We show ourselves to be children of God when we actively work to
reconcile with others, bring together adversaries, and work in
harmony with one another.

As his children, we must continue to work for unity and understanding. Our
families are microcosms of the world in which we learn peacemaking skills →
Peace begins at home.
 7. “Blessed are
the peacemakers,
they will be called
children of God.”
Worked tirelessly as Pope to bring people together
and help countries find peace and hope
in Christ. He said, “To everyone,
Christians, believers, and men and
women of good will, I say: Do not be
afraid to take a chance on peace, to
teach peace... peace will be the last
word of history.”
Pope Saint John Paul II
8. “Blessed are those who are
persecuted for the sake of what is
right, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.”
What does this look like?
• A prime example of those who are persecuted for the sake of what is right are
the saints and the martyrs. All of us are called to be saints. And like the saints,
when we suffer for Christ and others, the Kingdom of Heaven is our reward.

It can be difficult to do what is right, such as standing up to someone who is acting like a bully.
But we learn from Jesus, and, through practice in our family, we see that doing the right thing is
what it really means to be a follower of Jesus.
 8. “Blessed are
those who are
persecuted for
the sake of what
is right, for theirs
is the kingdom of
heaven.”
“Tôi là Kitô hữu. Tôi không bao giờ
Saint Phaolo Hạnh chối đạo.”
 Pope Francis: “It’s a path that's
difficult to understand because it
goes against the current [of the
world], but the Lord tells us that
whoever goes down this road is
happy — that, sooner or later, they
become happy.”
 Blessed
Pier Giorgio
Frassati
“The Man of Eight
Beatitudes”

April 6, 1901 – July 4, 1925

“Go and look at these photographs.
Behold the man of the eight
beatitudes who bears in himself the
grace of the Gospel, the Good
News, the joy of salvation offered
to us by Christ..."
 “... By his example he proclaims that
a life lived in Christ's Spirit, the Spirit
of the Beatitudes, is "blessed", and
that only the person who becomes a
"man or woman of the Beatitudes"
can succeed in communicating love
and peace to others.”
- Pope Saint John Paul II, May 20, 1990
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati
• Born April 6, 1901 in Turin, Italy

• 1911: made his First Holy Communion

• He joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society at age 17

and spent hours on activities that helped the poor and
sick.

• 1921: attended the Young Catholic Workers

Congress in Rome and is arrested during a
demonstration (opposing Fascism); enrolls in the
Popular Party (the newly founded Catholic Party).

• 1922: became a Dominican Tertiary taking for his

patron the Dominican priest Girolamo Savanarola

• July 4, 1925: birth into eternal life; he had contracted

poliomyelitis while serving the sick and poor in Turin
– 24 years old
Blessed are the
poor in spirit, the
kingdom of
Heaven is theirs
Frassati was conscious that everything was a
gift from God, even his beloved mountains.
In his own words, “Every day, my love for the
mountains grows more and more. If my studies
permitted, I’d spend whole days in the
mountains contemplating the Creator’s
greatness in the pure air.”
Blessed are those
who mourn, they
shall be
comforted.
When he was still a teenager, Pier Giorgio
found out that the son of a janitor at his school
had died after inquiring as to why he looked so
sad one day. When he saw the janitor again,
almost a year later, he told the janitor that he
would keep his son in his prayers on the
anniversary of his death. He often prayed for
and offered up Holy Communion for those
who had died.
Blessed are the
meek, for they
will inherit the
land
Pier found ways to help others and to
help strengthen the spiritual lives of his
family and friends without being
forceful, persistently pushy, or attracting
attention to anything he did. He led by
example and would not give up on anyone.
Blessed are they
who hunger and
thirst for
righteousness, for
they will be
satisfied.
Pier Giorgio never hesitated to share his faith with
his friends. As Luciana wrote, “He only had to
exchange a few words to win a friend, whom he then
looked after and advised.” He would invite them to
attend Mass with them. Even if they declined the
invitation, he would ask again at another time.
Blessed are the
merciful; they will
be shown mercy
If there was one beatitude that summed what his
life was about, it would be this one. Pier spent
his life doing countless acts of charity. As a
small child, he took off his shoes and socks to
give to a woman with a small child who had
arrived at his house, begging for charity.

At the age of 17, he joined the Conference of

Saint Vincent de Paul. Even on his deathbed, he
wrote a note instructing that the medication in his
pocket be delivered a man who needed them.
Blessed are the
pure in heart;
they shall see
God
Pier Giorgio Frassati took purity of heart and
mind seriously. Since he received the Eucharist
daily and knew the importance of receiving it with
reverence, he did what he could to avoid
anything that would make him “unworthy” of
receiving it.

He had a habit of going to confession at least

once a week and always before he went
mountain climbing. According to those who knew
him, he never uttered a cuss word in his life.
Blessed are the
peacemakers,
they will be called
children of God
Shortly before his death, Pier Giorgio knew that his
parents were on the brink of divorce. It pained him to
know that such a thing was possible to he gave up his
own love – a young woman named Laura Hidalgo –
because he knew that it wouldn’t help his parent’s
marriage.

Since Pier Giorgio came from a wealthy, high society

family, he knew that Laura’s low social status (she was
an orphan) and lack of money would create problems
in his affluent family. So, he sacrificed his own
earthly happiness so that a semblance of peace
would remain in his family.
Blessed are those
who are persecuted
for the sake of what
is right, for theirs is
the kingdom of
heaven
Pier Giorgio was politically active but always put his
faith first. He chose to side with a political party that
was rooted in the Catholic family and which caused
disagreements with his father. He wasn’t afraid of the
clashes with Italian police and soldiers and was even
detained for several hours, though he was let go when
they found out he was the son of a diplomat.
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati
Pope Saint John Paul II called him “the man of the eight beatitudes”
at his Beatification Mass for good reason. Pier Giorgio fused his
faith and his daily life so seamlessly that it was easy for him to
use his love of sports, art and politics to bring others to the Lord,
all while helping an untold number of people whom society
ignored find hope and comfort.
The meaning of the beatitudes to
Hiep Si
- They embrace whatever pertains to the perfection
of Catholic Life
- The Beatitudes invite us to the practice of the highest
Catholic virtues – the New Law (the Beatitudes)
- Offers us encouragement and consolation for every
trial of our lives
- Since we are Knights, it is our job to uphold and guard
these values
Hiệp Sĩ - Dấn Thân
“To go out into the world”
Be men and women –
Hiệp Sĩ of the
Beatitudes!
What Beatitude/life of a saint
stood out to you the most?

How can you apply it to your

life?