Reflection on the Eight Beatitudes

In the story of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us about the Eight

Beatitudes. Beatitudes are blessings or promises of true happiness. Jesus' Eight

Beatitudes challenge us to humble ourselves. They teach us that those in our society that

are marginalized and less fortunate than us are the ones that will get the greatest rewards

in heaven. The Eight Beatitudes also act as stepping stones that lead us to eternal life.

They challenge us to help those who are less fortunate than us, so that we may share in

their rewards in heaven. The Eight Beatitudes provide us with hope and guidance when

we are facing hard times by reminding us that if we live as virtuous people who are

honest, just, and loving, we will one day share in a perfect union with God.

The Eight Beatitudes are an important part of our faith. This is because the

Church uses them to interpret and apply the two greatest commandments: to love God

with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind and to love our neighbour

as ourself. If we allow ourselves to be guided by the Eight Beatitudes when we are

making decisions, we can ensure that we are following Jesus’ two greatest

commandments. The Eight Beatitudes And the Ten Commandments of Moses also go

hand in hand. The Ten Commandment warn us against immoral acts such as stealing and

tell us to show love and respect for our neighbours, those with legitimate authority, and

God. The Eight Beatitudes bear a similar message of love and making righteous and just

choices. The Eight Beatitudes and the commandments are all the stepping stones to

heaven. By following the Ten Commandments and being guided by the Eight Beatitudes

we will receive blessings and happiness in this world as well as even greater rewards in

the world to come.

 Even though the Eight Beatitudes were originally given to people living during

Jesus’ time, they apply to us as well. The Eight Beatitudes can inform our conscience and

help to guide us. Our conscience is God’s voice inside of us. It helps us by guiding us

when we are making moral decisions. It helps us to determine the loving thing to do.

When we are faced with a moral decision, we can use the SEE-JUDGE-ACT-

EVALUATE model to help us to make the right decision. When using this model, we

must first recognize the problem. Then we must analyze the options and evaluating which

options would be the most loving thing to do. We would then choose the most loving

option. Lastly, we would reflect on our decision and how it affected our relationship with

ourselves, God and others.When we are evaluating our options, we must always

remember to never do evil, to treat others with love and respect, and that our decision

should reflect a genuine concern for other people. We can use the Eight Beatitudes as a

guideline when we are trying to evaluate our options because they convey a very similar

message. They teach us to stand up for righteousness and to be pure at heart. They

challenge us show love and respect to everybody and to be forgiving, peaceful and

humble. By allowing ourselves to be guided by the Eight Beatitudes, we will be more

likely to make loving and just choices in our lives.

An example of a situation where we can use the Eight Beatitudes to make a

decision is as follows: Your friend has stolen something, but has returned it. You are not

sure if you should forgive him. However, the beatitudes teach us to be merciful and

forgiving towards others. We are also called to be peaceful and to act out of genuine and

Christ-like love for others. Because of this, we can conclude that forgiving your friend

instead of fighting with him or holding a grudge against him is the loving thing to do.
 The Eight Beatitudes also help us to develop our virtues. Virtues are habits and

attitudes that God has given us to help guide our decisions, conducts and passions. If we

make our decisions according to the Eight Beatitudes, we will become people who are

faithful, loving, righteous, generous, forgiving, hopeful, and humble. These attributes will

allow us to become the virtuous people that God expects us to be as a part of our

covenant with him. By living out the Eight Beatitudes in our everyday lives, we are

brought closer to God’s promise of eternal life.

In conclusion, the Eight Beatitudes are a very large and important part of our

faith. They act as a guideline as to how we should live our lives and as a stepping stone to

heaven. It is only by living out the Beatitudes everyday that we can develop our

relationship with God and leading the virtuous lives that God intended for us to live.