Reflecting on the Beatitudes with the Saints

Reflecting on the Beatitudes with the Saints

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have  their fill.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
 .. Mathew 5:1-12

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit: For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.  --Saint Augustine

He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. - Psalm 25:9

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. --Saint Augustine

When God arose to judgment, To save all the humble of the earth. - Psalm 76:9

If humble souls are contradicted, they remain calm; if they are calumniated, they suffer with patience; if they are little esteemed, neglected, or forgotten, they consider that their due; if they are weighed down with occupations, they perform them cheerfully. - St. Vincent de Paul

The first degree of humility is the fear of God, which we should constantly have before our eyes.
- St. Louis de Blois

The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.  - Saint Vincent de Paul

Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. - Matthew 23:12

"The soul's true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing; because the Lord is great, but He is well-pleased only with the humble; He always opposes the proud". - St Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look on its greatness, but the greatness of its humility. - --St  John of the Cross, OCD

There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart. - Saint Augustine

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. - Saint Augustine

Regard yourself as more vile and miserable in the sight of God because of your faults than any sinner whatever, no matter what his sins. . . and consider closely that any grace or inclination to good or desire of virtue you may have, is not of yourself but of the sole mercy of Christ. - St. Vincent Ferrer

He who wants to learn true humility should reflect upon the Passion of Jesus. (267)  - St Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

Speaking absolutely, humility excels virginity. - --St. Thomas

Blessed are the Meek: For They Shall Possess the Land

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. - Proverbs 15:1

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and You will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29

You cannot attain to charity except through humility.--St. Augustine

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. – Luke 6:26-28

Humility makes our lives acceptable to God, meekness makes us acceptable to men. - St Francis De Sales

Conform yourself as closely as possible to His humility and gentleness in dealing with your neighbor. . . Love those who humble and contradict you, for they are more useful to your perfection than those who flatter you. - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

”Who is the meek? Whose imitator is he? He is not the imitator of Angels nor of Archangels, though they are most mild, and full of every virtue, but of the Lord of the universe. Paul would have us to imitate the meekness of God, that by exhibiting to us His dignity, we might be convinced that all who suffer contempt, bear contumely, or endure any other evil with mildness, controlling their anger, are imitators of God." - Saint John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church

”Go and exhort men to penance for the remission of their sins and for peace. You will find some among the faithful, mild and good, who will receive you with pleasure, and willingly listen to you; others, on the contrary, without religion, proud and violent, will censure you, and be very hostile to you; but make up your minds to bear all this with humble patience and let nothing alarm you. Be patient in tribulations, fervent in prayer, and fearless in labor.” - Saint Francis of Assisi

”If you desire to labor with fruit for the conversion of souls, it behooves you to mix the balm of gentleness with the strong wine of your zeal, to the end that the latter be not too ardent, but benign, pacific, long-suffering and full of compassion. For the natural character of men is such that, when treated with harshness, it becomes still more hardened, whereas mildness soon softens it. Moreover we ought to remember that Jesus Christ came to bless men of good will, and if we give up our own will to His guidance, we may be sure that He will render it fruitful.” - Saint Francis of Sales, Doctor of the Church

”Let us force ourselves to be affectionate, gentle, and humble in our intercourse with all, especially with those whom God has given us as our companions, such, for instance, as those of our household. And never let us consent to be of the number of those who, out of their own house, appear like Angels, but are more like devils at home.” - Saint Francis of Sales, Doctor of the Church

”We ought to be like lilies in the midst of thorns, which, however they be pricked and pierced, never lose their sweet and gentle fragrance.” - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

”Meekness, the greatest of virtues, is reckoned among the beatitudes. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land." For that blessed land, the heavenly Jerusalem, is not the spoil of warriors who have conquered, but the hoped-for inheritance of the meek, who patiently endure the evils of this life.” - Saint Basil the Great, Father and Doctor of the Church

Blessed Are They Who Mourn: For They shall be Comforted

It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart. - Ecclesiastes 7:2

O blissful penance, which has purchased for me so great a reward! - St. Peter of Alcantara, to St. Teresa of Jesus, appearing to her after his death

To do penance is to bewail the evil we have done, and to do no evil to bewail. - Pope St. Gregory the Great

Blessed the one who continually remembers the fear of Gehenna and hastens with tears and groans to repent sincerely in the Lord, for he will be delivered from the great tribulation. - St. Ephrem of Syria

Where sin was hatched, let tears now wash the nest. - St. Robert Southwell

If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance! - St. Padre Pio

Blessed are They that Hunger and Thirst after Justice: For They Shall Have Their Fill

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Mathew 6:33

… seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. – Deut. 4:29

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, - Psalm 63-1

You see plainly that I do not mean to advise you to perform great austerities, but rather generously to mortify your passions and inclinations, detaching your heart and emptying it of all that is earthly, and exercising charity towards your neighbor and liberality towards the poor.  -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. I will be a saint means I will despoil myself of all that is not God; I will strip my heart of all created things; I will live in poverty and detachment; I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God. - Blessed Mother Teresa

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? - John 5:44

When your intellect is concentrated on the love of God you will pay little attention to visible things and will regard even your own body as something alien. - St. Maximos the Confessor

Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes, you are a fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the mind with its light, and causes me to know your truth. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love. - St. Catherine of Siena

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6

Blessed are the Merciful: For They Shall Obtain Mercy

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. – Luke 6:31

Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. – Luke 6:36

Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. – Luke 6:37

Give, and it will be given to you. – Luke 6:38

Let our judgment of souls cease, for God's mercy upon them is extraordinary. (1684) - St Faustina

Extend your mercy towards others, so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for us if God should withdraw His Mercy from us? - Saint Vincent de Paul

Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him. – Saint Dominic Savio

For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict. (1158) – St Faustina

If you wish to advance in the love of God, speak of it; for pious conversations are to charity what the wind is to the flame. - St. Ignatius of Loyola

We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone. -Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini 

It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially. - Saint Francis de Sales

Blessed are the Clean of Heart: For They Shall See God

To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love. We must love nothing but Him, or if we love anything else, we must love it only for His sake. - Saint Peter Claver

If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.- Saint Charles Borromeo 

We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives - that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him. - Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Live in the joy and the peace of the divine Majesty. Live lost in divine love. Live for divine love and of divine love. - St. Paul of the Cross

If you distract your intellect from its love for God and concentrate it, not on God, but on some sensible object, you thereby show that you value the body more than the soul and the things made by God more than God Himself.  -- St. Maximos the Confessor

Blessed the one who always keeps the memory of God in himself, he will be wholly like an Angel from heaven upon earth, ministering to the Lord with fear and love.  - St. Ephrem of Syria

Let thy first rule be to flee the conversation of every human being, in so far as it is simply conversation, except as deeds of charity may demand; but to love people very much, and talk with few of them. And know how to talk in moderation even with those whom thou lovest with spiritual love. . . - St. Catherine of Siena

Those whose hearts are pure are temples of the Holy Spirit. - Saint Lucy 

Ask Jesus to make you a saint. After all, only He can do that. Go to confession regularly and to Communion as often as you can. - St. Dominic Savio

Blessed are the Peacemakers: For They Shall be Called the Children of God

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. - Proverbs 15:1

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. – Luke 6:26-28

Go in search of occasions to serve your accusers. You should seek these occasions more assiduously than people seek pearls and diamonds. - St. Paul of the Cross

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.  -- Francis of Assisi

”Go and exhort men to penance for the remission of their sins and for peace. You will find some among the faithful, mild and good, who will receive you with pleasure, and willingly listen to you; others, on the contrary, without religion, proud and violent, will censure you, and be very hostile to you; but make up your minds to bear all this with humble patience and let nothing alarm you. Be patient in tribulations, fervent in prayer, and fearless in labor.” - Saint Francis of Assisi

But I say to you, do not resist evil; but if someone hits you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek as well. And if anyone sues you in the courts, and takes away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And if anyone forces you to go a mile, go with him for two miles" (Matt. 5:39-41). Why did He say this? Both to keep you free from anger and irritation, and to correct the other person by means of your forbearance, so that like a good Father He might bring the two of you under the yoke of love.  - St. Maximos the Confessor

”We must imitate the forbearance of God. Oh, how great is God's forbearance! He endures patiently the temples of the profane men who outrage His Majesty; He endures idols and sacrilegious ceremonies; He makes the sun to shine on the evil and upon the good, and His rain descend upon the just and upon the unjust; He makes the elements serve all men alike, the impious as well as the good; the winds blow, the springs burst forth, the harvests swell with waving corn, the grapes ripen, the trees cover themselves with fruit, the forests put on thick foliage, the meadows adorn themselves with the enamel of flowers. God delays vengeance, and patiently waits, that man may correct himself and return to his Saviour. Such is the forbearance of the Eternal Father, and similar to it was that of the Son, for all the actions of Jesus Christ were characterized by patience and by that Divine evenness of soul of which nothing could disturb the tranquility.” -Saint Cyprian, Father and Doctor of the Church

Blessed are they that Suffer Persecution for Justice' Sake, For Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

He must increase, but I must decrease. - John 3:30 

I want to follow you and be like you, O my Jesus; I would rather be crucified with you than enjoy all the pleasures of this world without you.  - St. Bernadette Soubirous 

Do not deceive yourself, you will obtain nothing except at the very point of the sword. That is to say, you must do violence to self, and be of the number of those who take Heaven by storm. - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

We must detach ourselves from everything, and especially from ourselves, by continually thwarting our self-love. For example, a certain thing pleases us; we must leave it for the very reason that it pleases us. A certain person has injured us; we must do him good for this very reason. In a word, we must desire and not desire, exactly as God desires or does not desire, without inclination to any one thing; because we do not know that what we ourselves wish is the will of God. -- St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Perfection consists in renouncing ourselves, in carrying our cross, and in following Jesus Christ. Now, he who renounces himself most perfectly carries his cross the best and follows nearest to Jesus Christ is he who never does his own will, but always that of God. - St. Vincent de Paul

Those who reach the goal without falling do so through hating themselves and all worldly desires, distractions, pleasures and preoccupations, for this is what 'denying oneself' amounts to. Hence everyone expels himself from the kingdom by his own choice, through not embracing suffering and denying himself for the sake of the truth, but wanting to enjoy something of this world in addition to that divine longing, and not surrendering the whole inclination of his will to God. This may be understood from a single example. On examining himself a man realizes that what he is so eager to do is wicked. At first he feels doubt about it in his heart. Next, the measure and balance in his conscience make it clear inwardly whether the bias inclines to love for God or love for the world; and after that he proceeds to outward action. - St. Symeon Metaphrastis

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons
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