What are the 8 Beatitudes, and How Can We Live Them?

Many of us have heard of the eight Beatitudes – but do we know what they really mean, and have we considered how to implement them into our daily lives? 

In the book of Matthew, Christ begins His Sermon on the Mount with these blessings: 

• 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’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 5:3-10) 

First Beatitude

In the first Beatitude, the “poor in spirit” refers to those who bear their sufferings for Christ and ask for His help, acknowledging their weakness. Everything good comes from God, and the poor in spirit realize they are completely dependent on God for everything. It can also refer to those who are humble, who are detached from worldly goods and seek the kingdom of God. To become poor in spirit, we can pray the Litany of Humility, the Surrender Novena, or an Act of Humility. We can practice humility and reliance on God by visiting Him frequently through the Sacraments and in the Eucharist, reading Scripture, handing over all of our cares, worries, and burdens to Him, and practicing acts of mercy and charity. God will answer our prayers for humility and surrender – we need only to cooperate with His grace, and He will perfect us. 

Second Beatitude

The meek of the second Beatitude are not those who are meek by temperance, but rather those who patiently bear the sufferings of life for God without bitterness or murmuring. It is not being a pushover, but rather those who imitate Christ in His Passion, reacting calmly to conflict rather than lashing out. Meekness is the opposite virtue to the sin of wrath. As Pope Francis said: “The meek are not people-pleasers but are Christ’s disciples who have learned to defend a whole other land. They defend their peace, they defend their relationship with God and God’s gifts, guarding mercy, fraternity, trust, hope.” The meek will inherit Heaven, the new land. To practice this virtue, we can meditate on Christ’s Passion – the best example of meekness – and pray for the same grace to respond to our enemies with charity. We can also pray to saints such as St. Joseph, St. Therese of Lisieux, or St. Francis de Sales, who are wonderful examples of this virtue. Praying for the grace to forgive those who have hurt us, or to remain peaceful in situations that will make us angry will also help us increase in meekness. Finally, frequenting the Sacrament of Confession can help us temper our anger and increase in all virtues.

Third Beatitude

“Mourning” in the third Beatitude refers to mourning the suffering pious men endure and the evil in the world that so injures mankind and God’s Heart. It can also refer to those who mourn over their own sins and seek the comfort of God, which is ready for those who mourn. The gift of tears is a beautiful gift, which comes when one realizes the reality of sin and experiences grief and repents. Repentance for our sins is a gift that the Holy Ghost will readily grant to those who ask for it. Asking the Holy Ghost to help change our hearts to be sensitive to the reality of sin and the suffering that evil creates in the world will help us grow in this Beatitude. 

Fourth Beatitude

Hungering and thirsting after justice is one that can be easily misunderstood. Many today are filled with wrath for perceived slights or injustices in society, but this rage is not always motivated by virtue. As we saw in the second Beatitude, meekness tempers the vice of wrath. But this Beatitude refers to something different: a wish that we would be morally perfect and that others would be just as well. This is a desire to progress in holiness, which will help us reach Heaven. The closer we grow to God, the more we will desire Him and desire to perfect ourselves. Consciously practicing the virtues and works of mercy will help us increase in holiness – but of course, we need God’s assistance in this endeavor. Frequenting the Sacraments – particularly that of Confession and the Holy Eucharist – will help us grow in perfection, as well as visiting Christ often in the Tabernacle or in Adoration.

Fifth Beatitude

The fifth Beatitude refers to the “merciful,” or those who practice the works of mercy. This is one of the best ways to live out this Beatitude. We can also cultivate a devotion to the Divine Mercy, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and pray for the grace of mercy, inspired by the conditional request in the Our Father: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The mercy we show to others will be the mercy we receive when we go to our eternal reward.

Sixth Beatitude

The “clean of heart” does not simply refer to purity or chastity. It refers to a sincerely good intention, oriented towards the glory of God. Practicing the Presence of God – namely, reminding ourselves constantly that God is ever-present and watches our deeds – will help us grow in cleanliness of heart and all other virtues. 

Seventh Beatitude

“Peacemakers” are those who not only seek peace between themselves and others, but also among all of mankind and with God. They are those who seek the true good of others, both temporally and spiritually. Pope Benedict XVI said, “To become authentic peacemakers, it is fundamental to keep in mind our transcendent dimension and to enter into constant dialogue with God, the Father of mercy, whereby we implore the redemption achieved for us by His only-begotten Son. In this way, mankind can overcome that progressive dimming and rejection of peace which is sin in all its forms: selfishness and violence, greed and the will to power and dominion, intolerance, hatred and unjust structures.” He went on to outline how peacemakers “…are those who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions, personal, communitarian and transcendent. Life in its fullness is the height of peace. Anyone who loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life.” 

So, to work towards authentic peace and to live out this Beatitude well, we must understand what the Holy Father described as true peace. To be a peacemaker, we must practice what the Apostle Paul extorted – “pray without ceasing.” In this way, we are constantly attuned to God’s Presence and Will, and we are more able to hear His Voice in our hearts, prompting us towards the good. 

Eighth Beatitude

It is fitting that the final Beatitude regards the persecution of the just, as after we have grown in virtue and commit our lives to God, we very well may be persecuted by the world. This persecution does not always take the form of a bloody martyrdom. We can be persecuted through insults, ridicules, or ostracization, among other ways. As we grow in virtue, we will also grow in long-suffering, a fruit of the Holy Ghost, and will more easily bear the offenses from those who hold in contempt anyone who follows God. In those most difficult times, when our actions to stand up for justice, for what is good and holy and true lead us to be rejected by others, we can take great comfort in this Beatitude. We can know that Christ foresaw this injustice, that He promised reward, and that He has always been with us. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:18-20). 

Practicing these eight Beatitudes, given to us by Christ Himself, can help us tremendously in growing in the spiritual life and on the way to perfection. With God’s grace, we can implement them all in our daily lives, focusing on one at a time. And with God’s help, through the graces we receive in this endeavor, we may enter into the Kingdom of God.