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1 February 2026
Far from being a mere display of Jesus’ eloquence, the Beatitudes constitute a true itinerary that leads us to Heaven. This is because the complete happiness we constantly seek is found in nothing of this world, but solely in God.
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| Helen Thomas Robson - My Friend. |
The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 5:1–12a)
At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and utter every kind of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven.”
This Sunday, the Church proclaims the Gospel of Saint Matthew, chapter 5, verses 1 to 12. This passage is the Sermon on the Mount—the first of the five great discourses narrated by Saint Matthew—in which Our Lord proclaims the Beatitudes that we shall live fully in Heaven.
It is striking to observe that Jesus’ very first word here is “blessed,” that is, “happy.” It seems that Christ begins with the end, for He opens by speaking of the ultimate goal of our lives—happiness—and shows that He Himself is the path that leads to it. We all desire to be happy, yet we tragically do not know the way to happiness. This drama belongs to the human condition. Cows, monkeys, and small animals do not suffer from the anguish of seeking fulfillment in life; they do not become anxious, worried, or desperate. With us, however, the situation is different: we are anguished because there is always the possibility that our life might simply not turn out well.
Here, Jesus immediately touches the wound, showing us that we seek happiness where it cannot be found. Because He desires our happiness, Christ shows us the way. The hard truth is that we can indeed fail in this life, and this is precisely the evil Jesus wishes to heal. Happiness exists in Heaven, with God; yet we do not know how to reach it. Our Lord not only wants us to be happy, but also tells us what we must do in order to attain happiness. This is the very heart of the Gospel of the Beatitudes.
In short, we will not find perfect happiness in this world. Every form of happiness presented by Jesus is a reward of Heaven. And to reach it, we must do one thing: imitate Our Lord. With the help of grace, we must form our hearts according to the Heart of Jesus, for the Beatitudes are nothing other than a reflection of the very Person of Christ. As He Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn 14:6).
The Gospel presents us with eight Beatitudes, divided into two parts: in the first, Jesus tells us what we must do; in the second, He reveals the reward awaiting us in Heaven. It is important to emphasize that everything Jesus promises belongs to Heaven. Indeed, He begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” He goes on to speak of comfort for those who mourn, inheritance for the meek, satisfaction for the hungry and thirsty, mercy, and finally divine filiation. All of this stands in stark contrast to this valley of tears in which we live—the fallen world.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks to us of Heaven, where we shall be called “children of God.” Saint John writes: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed” (1 Jn 3:2). This is the hope of Heaven. Finally, Jesus speaks of those who are persecuted for love of Him: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and utter every kind of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven” (Mt 5:11–12). Everything points toward Paradise.
Christ wishes to free us from the foolish notions of happiness we cultivate in this world. He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Jesus Himself was the first and greatest of the poor in spirit, for He humbled Himself completely on the Cross, shattering by His example our attachments to worldly things. It is noteworthy that He says “blessed are the poor,” even though common sense often claims the opposite. Our country is economically unstable; we are constantly facing crises. As a result, it is common for us to chase after money and financial security. It almost seems as though happiness will only arrive once our name disappears from the list of debtors or when we finally purchase the latest smartphone. Yet one does not even need faith to recognize the illusion behind this attachment to money—a truth already acknowledged by ancient philosophers.
Once, I met an elderly man who had lived a dignified and honest life, working for decades to provide the best for his family. At the end of his life, however, he realized that all the money he had accumulated could not buy his health back. Material goods do not bring happiness. But must one really live to be eighty to discover a truth that could already be understood at twenty? It makes no sense to distress ourselves over things that will pass away. Christ invites us to imitate Him in poverty, for it is in this way that we shall be happy.
Does this mean, then, that we will experience no happiness at all in this life? Certainly not. The Beatitudes themselves make this clear. When we hear about true happiness in Heaven and what we must do to attain it, hope is born in our hearts—and hope itself is already the beginning of happiness. When someone who is gravely ill is told that there exists a medicine capable of saving his life, simply hearing this good news already brings joy. The illness remains, but the face is illuminated by hope. Such is the logic of the Beatitudes proclaimed by Jesus. We shall live them fully only in Heaven, but even now we possess the joy of hope, because we believe in the Word of God.
We must obey the Lord, following the path to happiness that He has shown us. To help us, we have the grace of God. We are like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, walking in the company of Jesus: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way?” (Lk 24:32). They had not yet seen the risen Christ, yet their hearts were already aflame. Such is the condition of Christians.
Let us look to the lives of the saints. They are rightly called “blessed,” for they are in Heaven, though they lived troubled lives on earth. Indeed, if we wish to understand suffering, we need only look at the saints. Yet even amid suffering, they nourished the flame of hope in their hearts, and this was already a source of great joy—even in this world. We are called to suffer not as the despairing, but with the flame of hope burning within our souls.
So far, we have seen our goal—Heaven. But how do we reach it? The path that leads to Paradise begins with poverty of spirit, that is, the wise resolve never to place our hope in earthly goods: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
Second: “Blessed are those who mourn.” Our society flees from any form of suffering or affliction and believes that happiness lies in sensual pleasure. For many, happiness is found in sex, food, comfort, and the like. This is a grave illusion. Jesus is clear: happiness does not lie in what appeals to disordered desire.
The third Beatitude of Our Lord is: “Blessed are the meek.” How many wars, conflicts, and disputes would be avoided if we simply followed this exhortation of the Lord.
According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, these Beatitudes are proper to beginners—those taking their first steps on the path of purification. Even at this early stage, we already begin to lose much of our attachment to the things of this world.
Therefore, let us take courage! Our Lord begins the Sermon on the Mount with the end, showing us that true happiness does exist. Hearts lifted high, then! How many priests and members of the Church live discouraged lives! How many people surrender to a worldly outlook because they no longer see a solution to the problems afflicting the Church! Sadly, in the face of worldly pressures, many prefer to capitulate, wishing the Church to adapt itself to the spirit of the age. Yet here Christ feeds us with hope. He shows us the path of grace, by which—if we break with worldly illusions—we shall receive our reward in Heaven.
Let us, then, have true hope. Yes, we live the drama of the human condition, but authentic happiness does exist. A light has shone upon a people who walked in darkness. Our true happiness is in Heaven. To reach it, let us ask for the grace to imitate Christ in the Beatitudes, thus breaking free from the illusions of this world. In this way, we may one day attain the eternal reward. Therefore, let us listen to Our Lord, who says: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven” (Mt 5:12a).
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