TRENDING: Demystifying the Gift of Tears     SEARCH 

HOME PLEASE GIVE ARTICLES DAILY EXTRAS FEATURES

FEATURES

ST. AUGUSTINE ON THE

BEATITUDES
Posted by Steven Jonathan Rummelsburg | Mar 22,
2014 | In the Spotlight, Prayer / Spiritual Life |


St. Augustine of Hippo (detail) by Sandro

Botticelli
St. Augustine of Hippo (detail)
by Sandro Botticelli

In 393, Saint Augustine wrote his Commentary on the

Sermon on the Mount. In this edifying treatise, he
begins with the weighty proclamation that “anyone who
piously and earnestly ponders the Sermon on the
Mount — as we read in the Gospel according to Mathew
— I believe he will find therein… the perfect standard of
the Christian Life.” And indeed, prayerful contemplation
on Christ’s Sermon will reveal that it possesses the
divine principles of justice leading to a deep
understanding of the way in which we ought to live in
order to answer Christ’s call to “be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Beatitudes are the centerpiece of the Sermon on

the Mount and throughout the life of the Church they
have been central to Catholic moral theology. However,
in these strange times the glass through which we see
darkly has become so warped by artificial light that we
now often perceive an inversion of Christ’s moral
truths. Disordered society has attempted to transform
the Beatitudes into moral platitudes. The modern
tendency is to project them as calls to social reform, an
external concern with lifting the poor and seeking a NEW FROM
worldly peace.
RANDY HAIN
Viewed as external precepts, the Beatitudes may well
better our society by a degree or two, but such a gain
can only be superficial and temporary. As St. Ambrose
reminds us, “our own evil inclinations are far more
dangerous than any external enemies.” The Beatitudes
are meant to be directed inward towards our internal
poverty and the attainment of spiritual peace as
preparation for the spiritual combat necessary to save
our souls and to colonize the heavenly country.

In the body of St. Augustine’s lesser known works we

find Sermon 53 on the Beatitudes. With this little known
homily St. Augustine can begin to help us to recover an
accurate understanding of the Beatitudes as the solemn INVITE JOAN
blessings that embody the spiritual character of Christ’s TO SPEAK AT
Kingdom; for the Beatitudes exemplify the features that YOUR NEXT
describe the heavenly dispositions leading to our
EVENT...
sanctification. Their simplicity, truth and beauty in moral
theology are unsurpassed.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom

of heaven.” To be poor in spirit is not to be materially
impoverished, but to be humble. St. Augustine explains
that “whoever is puffed up is not poor in spirit.” The
poor in spirit are not weak; they are strong enough to
be detached from the material riches of this world. The
kingdom of heaven is on high but as is said in Mathew
23:12, “he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” St. Leo
the Great further elucidates the maxim: “blessed,
therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love
of temporal things, and does not seek to be increased
with the riches of the world, but is eager to amass
heavenly possessions.”

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth”.
The Greek word for meek has a twofold meaning at
once as strong as iron, yet as gentle as a feather. Jesus
describes meekness as being “wise as serpents and
gentle as doves.” St. Francis de Sales further elucidates
VISIT ICL'S
meekness when he says “there is nothing as strong as
true meekness, there is nothing as gentle as true
YOUTUBE
strength.” One who is truly meek will possess the earth, CHANNEL...
“if you are not meek, it will possess you.” St. Augustine
notes that the earth refers to the heavenly kingdom and
in another sense, self-possession ordered to Christ that
unifies and integrates a community of souls.

“Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be

comforted.” St. Augustine cautions us against an
improper understanding of mourning. Jesus does not
bless every form of sorrow. Despair is sorrow without
hope. Self-pity is a most dangerous form of morning.
What of “those who mourn “according to the flesh? They
have troublesome and frightening consolations.”
Mourning is the expression of inner discontent, of the
gap between desire and satisfaction, in other words for
suffering. We are to mourn for our sins and the sins of
others. Our “true consolation will be that which gives
comfort that will never be lost.”

“Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for justice, for
they shall be satisfied.” If we hunger for the things of
this world we will end in starvation. We ought to hunger
for justice, the Bread of Life who is Christ. He tells us in
John 6:41, “I am the bread that has come down from
heaven.” We ought to thirst for the living water of which
our Lord said “whoever drinks of the water that I shall
give him will never thirst.” St. Augustine advises us to
“pant after the drink of the thirsty as well, for with Thee
is the fountain of Life.” Christ being the all-
encompassing truth and justice is our food and drink,
we ought to hunger and thirst for Him.

“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”

St. Augustine reminds us here of the truth that we are
beggars at Gods door and someone is begging from us.
He entreats us to remember that “as you treat your
beggar, so will God treat his.” He exhorts: “Out of your
own fullness fill an empty man, so that your own
emptiness may be filled from the fullness of God.” To
him that shows mercy, mercy will be shown. The holy
appeal to show mercy is well illustrated by the parable
of the Good Samaritan.

“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.”
St. Augustine explains that “the eyes by which God is
seen are within the heart.” As if he is speaking to our
age he admonishes, “how foolish then are those who try
to find God through the use of their bodily eyes!” We
must walk by faith not by sight. The purification of our
hearts is the true end of our love which will allow us to
see God clearly. The brightness of the true light will not
be able to be seen by the unclean sight: and that which
is joy to minds that are clean, will be a punishment to
those that are tarnished. St. Augustine explains, “A
simple heart is a heart that is pure; and, just as the light
which surrounds us cannot be seen except through eyes
that are clear, so neither is God seen unless that
through which He can be seen is pure.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children

of God.” St. Augustine clarifies that “where there is no
contention, there is perfect peace. And because nothing
can contend against God, the children of God are
peacemakers.” The Peacemakers of God are the
opposite of the peacemakers of the world, for the men
of the world cry “peace peace when there is no peace.”
St. Augustine explains that “man is unable to rule over
the lower things unless he in turn submits to the rule of
a higher being. And this is the peace promised on earth
to men of good will.” God’s peace is only possible when
everything is in its proper order and oriented to Him.

Finally, “Blessed are YOU when men revile YOU and

persecute YOU and utter all kinds of evil against YOU
falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for YOUR
reward is great in Heaven, for so men persecuted the
Prophets before YOU.” The first seven Beatitudes are
free will choices on our part; the eighth Beatitude is
done to us in consequence of these choices. We are to
suffer the eighth Beatitude as we prefect the practice of
the first seven.

After Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes, the rest of the

Sermon on the Mount illustrates the effects manifested
by the precepts of the perfect moral law. The Beatitudes
are the heavenly norms for which we must strive to
conform ourselves by cooperating with the graces gifted
by the Holy Spirit. Christ presents the Beatitudes to us in
their proper order from the lowest to the highest. The
first step of the climb on this stairway to heaven is
humility leading upwards through the rest of the
Beatitudes towards the final end of wisdom. The
Beatitudes embody the properly ordered mystical
hierarchy of the rise to sanctity.

The splendor of the Beatitudes lived out completely is

no less than the ascent to full communion with the
saints. St. Thomas refines the moral end of St.
Augustine’s ethic by explaining that “to possess God in
full in the beatific vision is to have our powers fully
realized, fully perfected, and to find them at rest, in
perfect happiness for all eternity.” Here in the Gospel of
Mathew is gifted to us the perfect standard of Christian
living. Allow St. Augustine to bring us to a deeper and
properly ordered understanding of our Lord’s call to the
beatific vision.
 If you liked this article, please share it with
your friends and family using the
Recommend and Social Media buttons below
and via email. We value your comments and
encourage you to leave your thoughts below.
Thank you! – The Editors

Print this entry

SHARE:      

   

RATE:

 PREVIOUS NEXT 

To Begin Again Daily Catholic Quote from Pope

Benedict XVI

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Jonathan Rummelsburg

Steven Jonathan Rummelsburg is a
Catholic convert, a catechist, a school
teacher, a Catholic writer and speaker on
matters of Faith, culture, and education.
He holds a degree in History from the
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Steven is a Senior Contributor at The
Imaginative Conservative, a member of
the Teacher Advisory Board and writer of
curriculum at the Sophia Institute for
Teachers, a contributor to Crisis Magazine,
 The Civilized Reader, The Standard
Bearers, Catholic Exchange and a
founding member of the Brinklings
Literary Club.

RELATED POSTS

Cracks The Danger Wall-painting Picking

April 29, 2020 of Human of St Blueberries
Respect Christopher at the
emerging Convent
March 22, 2016 headless June 8, 2022
from
Reformation
whitewash
December 11,
2019

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress    