On All Saints Day the Gospel reading in Mass was Matthew (5: 1-12), The Beatitudes. I have heard Jesus’ beautiful words in this reading many times before but never fully understood His intentions. I thought to myself that there is probably more to Jesus’ words than what I knew about them. I’ve wondered what was the true purpose of the Beatitudes, who was Jesus addressing, and how do they speak to us today?
Pope Benedict (2007) writes that the Beatitudes may be presented as the New Testament’s counterpoint to the Ten Commandments, but doing so misconstrues Jesus’ words. “In the Sermon on the Mount, he recapitulates and gives added depth to the commandments of the second tablet, but he does not abolish them,” instead He is reinforcing them (p. 70). The Beatitudes are directed at Jesus’ disciples who are poor, hungry, weeping, and are hated and persecuted. So, they are meant to be a practical list of His disciples’ attributes, but they are also theological attributes of Jesus’ disciples because they are words of promise (p. 70). The Beatitudes turn the worldly way of thinking upside down because the Jews believed that wealth, power, and prestige were God’s blessings. In opposition, the Beatitudes proclaim that the poor and the pure of heart will receive the Kingdom, and peacemakers will receive blessings (Catechist).
While the Ten Commandments teach us what not to do, the Beatitudes teach us what to do to follow God’s will. They are a roadmap for spiritual growth that leads to a life of everlasting joy (St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church; Wichita, KS). The Beatitudes challenge us to make choices “concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things” (CCC 1728). We are able to see ourselves and the world from a new perspective (Catechist). Pope Benedict explains that the Beatitudes are criteria for discernment and help us to find the right path (p. 70). When we follow Jesus’ way, when we live by His standards and not ours, we receive joy even during affliction (p. 71). “The Beatitudes display the mystery of Christ himself, and they call us into communion with him.” “They are directions for discipleship, directions that concern every individual. Even though — according to the variety of callings — they do so differently for each person” (p. 74).
Catechist. Blessed Are You: Understanding and Teaching the Beatitudes. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://www.catechist.com/blessed-understanding-teaching-beatitudes/
Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica (2nd ed.). Doubleday.
Ratzinger, J. Pope Benedict XVI. (2007). Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. Doubleday.
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (Wichita, KS). The Beatitudes: God’s Roadmap to Everlasting Joy. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://www.stfranciswichita.com/blog/the-beatitudes-gods-roadmap-to-everlasting-joy/
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