Gospel beatitudes. The Beatitudes. Interpretation

Doctrine of Bliss

In order to be confirmed in the hope of salvation and bliss, one should add one’s own feat to achieve bliss to prayer. The Lord Himself speaks about this: “Why do you call Me: Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46). Not everyone will say to Me: Lord, Lord, He will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but do the will of My Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

A guide in this feat can be the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, briefly proposed in his sayings about beatitude. There are nine such sayings:

9. Blessed are you when people revile you, and despise you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying to Me for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven (Matthew 5:3-12).

About all these sayings, for their correct understanding, it should be noted that the Lord proposed in them the teaching about achieving bliss in the way that the Gospel says: He opened His mouth, His lips. But being meek and humble in heart, He offered His teaching, not commanding, but pleasing those who would freely accept and implement it. Therefore, in each saying about beatitude one should consider, firstly, a teaching or commandment, and secondly, a blessing or promise of reward.

About the first beatitude

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The first commandment of the Lord to achieve bliss is that those who desire bliss must be poor in spirit.

To be poor in spirit means to have the spiritual conviction that we have nothing of our own, but have only what God gives, and that we cannot do anything good without God’s help and grace; and, thus, we must consider that we are nothing, and in everything have recourse to the mercy of God. Briefly, according to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, spiritual poverty is humility. (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15.)

Without a doubt, even the rich can be poor in spirit if they come to the conclusion that visible wealth is perishable and fleeting and that it does not replace the lack of spiritual goods. What good is it to a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul (and damages his soul)? Or what will a man give (what ransom) for his soul? (Matt. 16:26).

Physical poverty can serve to perfect spiritual poverty if a Christian chooses it voluntarily, for God. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said about this to the rich man: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor: and have treasure in Heaven, and come after Me” (Matthew 19:21).

The Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor in spirit.
The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them in the present life internally and initially, through faith and hope, and in the future - completely, through participation in eternal bliss.

About the Second Beatitude

2. Blessed are those who cry, for they will be comforted.

The second commandment of the Lord for bliss is that those who desire bliss must be weeping.
In this commandment we should understand by the name of crying sadness and contrition of heart and actual tears that we serve the Lord imperfectly and unworthily or even deserve His wrath through our sins. For, according to God, sorrow brings unrepentant repentance to salvation (sorrow for the sake of God produces unchangeable repentance to salvation): but the sorrow of this world brings death (2 Cor. 7:10).

The Lord especially promises those who mourn that they will be comforted.

Here, of course, is the consolation of grace, consisting in the forgiveness of sins and peace (in a pacified) conscience.
This promise is combined with the commandment about mourning so that grief over sins does not reach despair.

About the third beatitude

3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The third commandment of the Lord for bliss is that those who desire bliss must be meek.

Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution, so as not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything.

Special actions of Christian meekness are not to grumble not only at God, but also at people, and when something happens that is against our desires, not to indulge in anger, not to become arrogant.
The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth.

This promise must be understood in such a way that in relation to the followers of Christ, in general, it is a prediction that was fulfilled literally, for the constantly meek Christians, instead of being destroyed by the rage of the pagans, inherited the universe that the pagans had previously possessed.

Moreover, the meaning of this promise in relation to Christians in general and to everyone in particular is that they will receive an inheritance, in the words of the Psalmist, in the lands of the living, where they live and do not die, that is, they will receive eternal bliss (Ps. 26, 13).

About the Fourth Beatitude

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

The fourth commandment of the Lord for beatitude is that those who desire beatitude must be hungry and thirsty for righteousness.

Although we should understand by the name of truth every virtue that a Christian should desire as food and drink, we should primarily mean that truth about which Daniel’s prophecy says: eternal righteousness will be brought in, that is, the justification of a person guilty before God will be accomplished - justification through grace and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Dan. 9:24).

The Apostle Paul speaks about this truth: “The righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ is in all and on all who believe: for there is no difference (difference), for all who have sinned and come short of the glory of God, are justified by the tuna (gift) of His grace, the deliverance (redemption) in Christ Jesus, Whom God hath ordained cleansing through faith in His blood (Whom God offered as a sacrifice of propitiation through the shedding of His Blood), for the manifestation of His righteousness, for the remission (forgiveness) of former sins” (Rom. 3:22-25).

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who love to do good, but do not consider themselves righteous, do not rely on their good works, but recognize themselves as sinners and guilty before God, and who, through the desire and prayer of faith as spiritual food and drink, hunger and thirst for grace-filled justification through Jesus Christ.
The Lord promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied.

Here saturation means the following. Just as bodily saturation brings, firstly, the cessation of feelings of hunger and thirst, and secondly, the reinforcement of the body with food, spiritual saturation means, firstly, the inner peace of a pardoned sinner, secondly, the acquisition of strength to do good, and this power is given by justifying grace. However, the complete satiation of the soul, created for the enjoyment of infinite good, will follow in Eternal Life, according to the saying of the Psalmist: I will be satisfied when I appear in Thy glory (when Thy glory is revealed). (Ps. 16, 15.)

About the Fifth Beatitude

5. Blessedness of mercy, for there will be mercy.

The fifth commandment of the Lord for blessedness is that those who desire blessedness must be merciful.
This commandment should be fulfilled through works of mercy - physical and spiritual, for, as St. John Chrysostom says, the image of mercy is varied and this commandment is broad. (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15.)

The corporal works of mercy are:

1. To feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. Clothe the naked or lacking in necessary clothing.
4. Visit someone in prison (in custody).
5. Visit the sick person, serve him and help him recover or Christian preparation for death.
6. Accept a stranger into your home and provide him with rest.
7. Bury the dead in squalor (in poverty, in poverty).

The spiritual works of mercy are as follows.

1. By exhortation to turn the sinner from the error of his way (from his false path). (James 5:20.)
2. Teach the ignorant truth and goodness.
3. Give your neighbor good and timely advice in case of difficulty or in case of danger that he does not notice.
4. Pray to God for him.
5. Comfort the sad.
6. Do not repay the evil that others have done to us.
7. Forgive offenses with all your heart.

It does not contradict the commandment of mercy if a guilty person is punished with justice, if they do it out of duty and with good intentions, that is, to correct him or to protect the innocent from his crimes.
The Lord promises the merciful that they will receive mercy.

This implies pardon from eternal condemnation for sins at the Judgment of God.

About the Sixth Beatitude

6. Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God.

The sixth commandment of the Lord for bliss is that those who desire bliss must be pure in heart.

Purity of heart is not quite the same as sincerity. Candor, or sincerity, according to which a person does not hypocritically show good dispositions without having them in his heart, but shows good dispositions of the heart in good deeds, is only the lowest degree of purity of heart. A person achieves this latter by constant and unrelenting feat of vigilance over himself, driving out from his heart every unlawful desire and thought and every attachment to earthly objects and constantly preserving in his heart the remembrance of God and the Lord Jesus Christ with faith and love.
The Lord promises those with a pure heart that they will see God.

This promise should be understood in such a way that the word of God likens the heart to the human eye and ascribes to perfect Christians an enlightened eye of the heart (Eph. 1:18). Just as a pure eye is able to see light, so a pure heart is able to contemplate God. Since the sight of God is the source of eternal bliss, the promise to see (see) God is a promise of a high degree of eternal bliss.

About the Seventh Beatitude

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for these shall be called the sons of God.

The seventh commandment of the Lord for beatitude is that those who desire beatitude must be peacemakers.
This commandment must be fulfilled this way. We must treat everyone in a friendly manner and not give rise to disagreement; stop any disagreement that has occurred by all possible means, even compromising our rights, unless this is contrary to duty and is not harmful to anyone; try to reconcile others who are at war with each other to the extent that we have the opportunity, and if we cannot, then pray to God for their reconciliation.
The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God.

This promise signifies the height of the peacekeepers’ feat and the reward prepared for them. Since by their deed they imitate the Only Begotten Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile sinful man with the justice of God, they are promised the gracious name of the sons of God and, without a doubt, a degree of bliss worthy of this name.

About the Eighth Beatitude

8. Blessed is the expulsion of truth for the sake of them, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The eighth commandment of the Lord for beatitude is that those who desire beatitude must be ready to endure persecution for the sake of the truth, without betraying it.
This commandment requires the following qualities: love of truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience if someone is exposed to disaster or danger for not wanting to betray truth and virtue.

The Lord promises those persecuted for the sake of righteousness the Kingdom of Heaven, as if in exchange for what they are deprived of through persecution, just as it was promised to the poor in spirit in replenishing the feeling of lack and poverty.

About the ninth beatitude.

Blessed are you when they revile you, and ridicule you, and say all sorts of evil things about you lying to Me for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven

The ninth commandment of the Lord for blessedness is that those who desire blessedness must be ready to joyfully accept reproach, persecution, disaster and death itself for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith.
The feat, according to this commandment, is called the feat of martyrdom.
The Lord promises a great reward in Heaven for this feat, that is, a preferential and high degree of bliss.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger (desire deeply) and thirst for righteousness (righteousness, holiness), for they will be satisfied.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called (will be called) sons of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Explanation of the Nine Beatitudes.

The nine beatitudes given to us by the Savior do not in the least violate the ten commandments of the Law of God. On the contrary, these commandments complement each other. The Beatitudes received their name from the assumption that following them during earthly life leads to eternal bliss in the subsequent eternal life.
First, the Lord indicated what His disciples, that is, all Christians, should be like: how they should fulfill the law of God in order to receive blessed (extremely joyful, happy), eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. To do this, He gave the nine beatitudes, the teaching about those qualities and properties of man that correspond to the Kingdom of God as the Kingdom of Love.
To all who will fulfill His instructions or commandments, Christ promises, as the King of heaven and earth, eternal bliss in the future, Eternal life. Therefore, He calls such people blessed, that is, the happiest.

First Beatitude:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The word "blessed" means extremely happy.
The poor in spirit are humble people who are aware of their imperfection. Spiritual poverty is the conviction that all the advantages and benefits that we have - health, intelligence, various abilities, abundance of food, home, etc. - we received all this from God. Everything good in us is God's.
Humility is the first and fundamental Christian virtue. Without humility a person cannot excel in any other virtue. Therefore, the first commandment of the New Testament speaks of the need to become humble. A humble person asks God for help in everything, always thanks God for the blessings given to him, reproaches himself for his shortcomings or sins and asks God for help to correct. God loves humble people and always helps them, but He does not help the proud and arrogant. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” the Holy Scripture teaches us (Prov. 3:34).
Just as humility is the first virtue, so pride is the beginning of all sins. Long before the creation of our world, one of the angels close to God, named Dennitsa, became proud of the brightness of his mind and his closeness to God and wanted to become equal to God. He made a revolution in heaven and drew some of the angels into disobedience. Then the angels, devoted to God, expelled the rebellious angels from paradise. The disobedient angels formed their own kingdom - hell. This is how evil began in the world.
The Lord Jesus Christ is for us the greatest example of humility. “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,” He told His disciples. Very often, people who are very gifted spiritually are “poor in spirit” - that is, humble, and people who are less talented or completely untalented, on the contrary, are very proud, loving praise. The Lord also said: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

Second Beatitude:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Those who mourn are those who recognize their sins and shortcomings and repent of them.
The crying spoken of in this commandment is grief of the heart and tears of repentance for sins committed. “Sorrow for God’s sake produces repentance leading to salvation, but worldly sorrow produces death,” says St. Apostle Paul. Worldly sadness, which is harmful to the soul, is excessive grief due to the loss of everyday objects or due to failures in life. Worldly sadness comes from sinful attachment to worldly goods, due to pride and selfishness. Therefore it is harmful.
Sadness can be useful for us when we cry out of compassion for our neighbors who are in trouble. We also cannot be indifferent when we see other people commit evil deeds. The increase in evil among people should cause us to feel sorrow. This feeling of sorrow comes from love for God and goodness. Such grief is good for the soul, as it cleanses it of passions.
As a reward for those who cry, the Lord promises that they will be comforted: they will receive forgiveness of sins, and through this inner peace, they will receive eternal joy.

Third Beatitude:

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

Meek people are those who do not quarrel with anyone, but give in. Meekness is calmness, a state of soul full of Christian love, in which a person never gets irritated and never allows himself to grumble.
Christian meekness is expressed in patiently enduring insults. The opposite sins of meekness are: anger, malice, irritability, vindictiveness.
The Apostle taught Christians: “If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people” (Rom. 12:18).
A meek person prefers to remain silent when insulted by another person. A meek person will not quarrel over something taken away. A meek person will not raise his voice at another person or shout swear words.
The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth. This promise means that meek people will be heirs of the heavenly fatherland, the “new earth” (2 Peter 3:13). For their meekness, they will receive many benefits from God forever, while daring people who offended others and robbed the meek will receive nothing in that life.
A Christian must remember that God sees everything and that He is infinitely just. Everyone will get what they deserve.

The Fourth Beatitude:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Hungry - those who strongly desire to eat, hungry. Thirsty - those who have a strong desire to drink. “Truth” means the same thing as holiness, that is, spiritual perfection.
In other words, this commandment could be said like this: blessed are those who strive with all their might for holiness, for spiritual perfection, because they will receive it from God.
Those who hunger and thirst for truth are those people who, aware of their sinfulness, fervently desire to become better. They strive with all their might to live according to the commandments of God.
The expression “hungry and thirsty” shows that our desire for truth should be as strong as the desire of the hungry and thirsty to satisfy their hunger and thirst. King David perfectly expresses this desire for righteousness: “As a deer strives for streams of water, so desires my soul for You, O God!” (Ps. 41:2)
The Lord promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied, i.e. that they will achieve righteousness with God's help.
This Beatitude teaches us not to be satisfied with being no worse than other people. We must become cleaner and better every day of our lives. The parable of the talents tells us that we are responsible before God for those talents, that is, those abilities that God gave us, and for the opportunities that He provided us to “multiply” our talents. The lazy slave was punished not because he was bad, but because he buried his talent, that is, he did not acquire anything good in this life.

The Fifth Beatitude:

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy."

Merciful are people who are compassionate towards others, these are people who feel sorry for other people who are in trouble or in need of help.
Deeds of mercy are material and spiritual.
Material works of mercy:
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the one who lacks clothes,
Visit a sick person.
Often there is a Sisterhood at churches that sends help to people in need in different countries. You can send your financial assistance through the church sisterhood or another charitable organization.
If there is a car accident or we see a sick person on the road, we must call an ambulance and make sure that this person receives medical care. Or, if we see that someone is being robbed or beaten, we need to call the police to save this person.
Works of spiritual mercy:
Give your neighbor good advice.
Forgive the offense.
Teach the ignorant truth and goodness.
Help the sinner to get on the right path.
Pray for your neighbors to God.
The Lord promises the merciful as a reward that they themselves will receive mercy, i.e. at the upcoming judgment of Christ they will be shown mercy: God will have mercy on them.
“Blessed is he who thinks (cares) for the poor and needy; in the day of trouble the Lord will deliver him” (Psalm).

The Sixth Beatitude:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

Pure in heart are those people who not only do not openly sin, but also do not harbor vicious and unclean thoughts, desires and feelings in themselves, in their hearts. The heart of such people is free from attachment to corruptible earthly things and free from sins and passions implanted by passion, pride and pride. People who are pure in heart constantly think about God and always see His presence.
To acquire purity of heart, one must keep the fasts commanded by the Church and try to avoid overeating, drunkenness, indecent films and dances, and reading obscene magazines.
Purity of heart is much higher than simple sincerity. Purity of heart consists only in sincerity, in the frankness of a person in relation to his neighbor, and purity of heart requires the complete suppression of vicious thoughts and desires, and constant thought about God and His holy Law.
The Lord promises people with a pure heart as a reward that they will see God. Here on earth they will see Him gracefully and mysteriously, with the spiritual eyes of the heart. They can see God in His appearances, images and likenesses. In the future eternal life they will see God as He is; and since seeing God is the source of the highest bliss, the promise to see God is the promise of the highest bliss.

The Seventh Beatitude:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Peacemakers are people who live with everyone in peace and harmony, who do a lot to ensure that there is peace between people.
Peacemakers are those people who themselves try to live with everyone in peace and harmony and try to reconcile other people who are at war with each other, or at least pray to God for their reconciliation. The Apostle Paul wrote: “If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people.”
The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God, that is, they will be closest to God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. By their feat, peacemakers are likened to the Son of God - Jesus Christ, who came to earth to reconcile sinners with the justice of God and to establish peace between people, instead of the enmity that prevailed between them. Therefore, peacemakers are promised the gracious name of children of God, and with this endless bliss.
The Apostle Paul says: “If you are children of God, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him; because I think that the sufferings of this present time are worth nothing in comparison with that glory, which will be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:17-18).

Eighth Beatitude:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Those persecuted for the sake of truth are those true believers who so love to live in truth, i.e. according to the Law of God, that for the firm fulfillment of their Christian duties, for their righteous and pious life, they suffer persecution, persecution, deprivation from wicked people, from enemies, but do not betray the truth in any way.
Persecution is inevitable for Christians who live according to the truth of the gospel, because evil people hate the truth and always persecute those people who defend the truth. The Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ himself was crucified on the cross by his enemies, and He predicted to all His followers: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). And the Apostle Paul wrote: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
In order to patiently endure persecution for the sake of truth, a person must have: love for the truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, courage and patience, faith and hope in God’s help.
The Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, i.e. complete triumph of the spirit, joy and bliss in the heavenly villages.

The Ninth Beatitude:

“Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all sorts of unjust things against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”

In the last, ninth commandment, our Lord Jesus Christ calls especially blessed those who, for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith in Him, patiently endure reproach, persecution, slander, slander, mockery, disasters and even death.
Such a feat is called martyrdom. There can be nothing higher than the feat of martyrdom.
The courage of Christian martyrs must be distinguished from fanaticism, which is zeal beyond reason. Christian courage must also be distinguished from the insensibility caused by despair and from the feigned indifference with which some criminals, in their extreme bitterness and pride, listen to the verdict and go to execution.
Christian courage is based on high Christian virtues: faith in God, hope in God, love for God and neighbors, complete obedience and unshakable loyalty to the Lord God.
A high example of martyrdom is Christ the Savior Himself, as well as the Apostles and countless Christians who joyfully went to suffer for the Name of Christ. For the feat of martyrdom, the Lord promises a great reward in heaven, i.e. the highest degree of bliss in the future eternal life. But even here on earth, the Lord glorifies many martyrs for their firm confession of faith through the incorruption of their bodies and miracles.

Jesus Christ brought the New Testament to humanity, the meaning of which is that now every person who believes in God can be freed from the sins that make his life difficult and joyless.

The Gospel conveys the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, in which He told people the nine beatitudes. These are nine conditions, subject to which a person can gain eternal life in the abode of the Almighty.

By His death on the cross, Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of people and thereby gave them the opportunity to discover the Kingdom of Heaven within themselves during their earthly life. But in order to experience this grace, you need to fulfill the beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

The modern Gospel differs significantly from the original source. This is not surprising - it has been translated and rewritten many times. The surviving Ostromir Gospel, dated to the mid-11th century, most accurately conveys the content of the 9 Beatitudes, but it is almost impossible for an ordinary person without special education to understand it. Not only is the Old Church Slavonic alphabet radically different from the Russian alphabet, but the Gospel uses words, expressions and concepts that have long been outdated and have fallen out of circulation. Theologians and philosophers all over the world have been and continue to be engaged in the interpretation of the Beatitudes.

The meaning of the word "bliss"

First you need to understand what the word “bliss” means. The closest synonym is bliss. When we say that we are blissful, we mean that we are basking. In the gospel understanding, beatitude means something slightly different. Christian Bliss - To experience bliss in the Christian sense is to be in a state of serene peace. In modern language, do not experience anxiety, doubt, or anxiety. Christian bliss is not analogous to the serene peace of Buddhists or Muslims, since it can manifest itself in the physical world during earthly life as a result of a conscious choice and renunciation of the manifestations of the forces of evil. The interpretation of the Beatitudes explains the meaning of this choice and self-denial.

Purpose of the commandments

The biblical commandments mark milestones in the development of man as an individual, the evolution of his spiritual world. On the one hand, they indicate what should be the goal of a person’s life, on the other, they reflect his nature and reveal what a person has an inner attraction to. The Gospel beatitudes echo those of the Old Testament. The 10 Beatitudes given by the Lord to Moses relate more to the material world and physical relationships between people in society. They indicate what a person should do, but do not affect his state of mind.

The seven prohibitions listed in the Sermon on the Mount are sometimes mistakenly called the 7 Beatitudes of Jesus Christ. It is not right. Christ did not reject the prohibitions of killing, envying, creating new idols, adultery, stealing and gluttony, but said that the result of the eradication of these sins is the emergence of pure love between people. “Love one another,” the Lord commanded, and thereby directed people not to keep track of misdeeds, but to treat each other with mercy, understanding and compassion.

The 9 Beatitudes were interpreted by such outstanding thinkers as Henri Bergson, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Nikolai Serbsky and others. Let's look at each commandment in detail.

About spiritual poverty

The first commandment of the beatitude of the Lord says that the first condition of bliss is the feeling of being spiritually poor. What does it mean? In earlier times, the concept of poverty did not mean a difficult financial situation, lack of money or property. A beggar was a person who asked for something. Poor in spirit means asking for spiritual enlightenment. Happy, or blessed, is the one who does not ask or seek material benefits, but the one who acquires wisdom and spirituality.

Bliss does not lie in experiencing satisfaction from the lack of material wealth or from its presence, but in not feeling superior to others if you have material wealth or oppressed if you do not have it.

The Beatitudes of Jesus Christ encourage the acceptance of earthly life as a means to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven, and if material wealth serves a person to increase spiritual wealth, then this is also the right path to God.

It is easier for a poor person to come to God, since he is more concerned about his own survival in the material world than a rich person. It is believed that he turns to God for help more often, and he has a greater chance of connecting with the Creator. However, this is an overly simplified idea of what constitutes the path to achieving spiritual wisdom and bliss.

Another interpretation of the commandment is based on the translation of the word “spirit” from the ancient Aramaic language. Then its synonym was the word “will”. Thus, a person who is “poor in spirit” can be called “poor of his own free will.”

Comparing both meanings of the expression “poor in spirit,” we can assume that Christ meant by the first beatitude that the Kingdom of Heaven will be achieved by those who voluntarily choose as their goal only the achievement of wisdom. And he will direct his will and mind to her alone.

About comforting those who cry

Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted - this is how the second beatitude sounds in the modern presentation. You should not think that we are talking about any tears. It is no coincidence that this commandment comes after the one that speaks of spiritual poverty. It is on the first commandment that all subsequent ones are based.

Crying is sorrow and regret. The poor in spirit regret the years spent searching for and accumulating material things. He is sad that he did not gain wisdom earlier; he remembers his actions and the actions of other people, which destroyed their lives, as they were aimed at achieving worldly joys. He regrets the wasted time and effort. He cries that he sinned against God, who sacrificed His own Son to people in order to save them, mired in worldly squabbles and worries. Therefore, you need to understand that not every cry pleases God.

For example, a mother’s cry that her son has become a drug addict or a drunkard is not always pleasing to God - if a mother cries that she will be left alone in old age, without the care and concern that she expected to receive from her adult son, then she cries only because she is disadvantaged pride and disappointment. She cries because she will not receive worldly goods. This kind of crying will not lead to comfort. He can turn a woman against other people whom she will assign to blame for what happened to her son, and the unhappy mother will begin to think that the world is unfair.

And if this woman begins to cry because her son stumbled and chose a disastrous path because of her own oversight, because from an early age she instilled in him only the desire for material superiority over others, but did not explain the need to be kind and honest , merciful and condescending to the shortcomings of other people? With such repentant tears, a woman will cleanse her soul and help her son to be saved. It is about this kind of crying that it is said: “Blessed are those who mourn who are sad because of their own sins. The Lord will find consolation for them, for the sake of such tears the Lord will show mercy and give the miracle of forgiveness.”

About the meek

Christ called meekness the third beatitude. It seems that there is no point in explaining this bliss. Everyone understands that a person who does not object, does not resist, and humbles himself before people and circumstances is called meek. However, not everything is so simple here either. A person who does not contradict those who are stronger and more powerful than him cannot be considered meek in the gospel understanding. Divine meekness comes from the first two beatitudes. First, a person realizes his spiritual poverty, then he repents and cries for his sins. Sincere contrition for them makes a person tolerant of the evil shown by other people. He knows that they, like himself, will sooner or later come to understand their own guilt for the troubles happening to them, realize their responsibility and guilt for the injustice and evil that they do to others.

A repentant sinner, like no one else, knows well that before God all people are equal. The repentant does not put up with evil, but, having experienced many sufferings, he comes to understand that man’s salvation is only in the hands of God. If He saved him, then He will save others too.

The preaching of the Beatitudes is not divorced from real life. The Lord Jesus Christ was meek, but he angrily attacked the merchants who exchanged sacrificial doves and candles for money in the temple, but He did not give us the right to do the same. He commanded us to show meekness. Why? Because He Himself commanded that the person who shows aggression will suffer from aggression.

The Lord teaches us that we must be thoughtful, but thinking about our own sins, and not about others, even if they are committed by a priest of the highest rank. John Chrysostom interprets this beatitude this way: do not object to the offender, lest he hand you over to the judge, and he, in turn, to the executioner. Injustice often rules in worldly life, but we should not complain. We must accept the world as God created it and devote our energy to improving our own personality.

It is interesting that many modern authors who have written instructions on how to make friends, how to become happy and successful, how to stop worrying and start living, give the same advice as Christ, but their advice does not work well. This is explained by the fact that they are not coordinated with each other and do not have outside support. In these pieces of advice, a person is opposed to the whole world and must cope with it alone, and following the Gospel, a person receives help from God Himself. Therefore, all such books quickly go out of fashion, but the Gospel continues to remain relevant for more than 2,000 years.

About those who thirst for truth

At first glance, this beatitude appears to repeat the first. The poor in spirit seek divine truth, and the hungry and thirsty seek the truth. Are they not acquiring the same thing?

Let's consider this example. A certain person says about himself: “I don’t know how to lie. I always tell the truth to everyone.” Is it so? Thirsting for the truth of the Gospel does not mean telling it to everyone all the time. That lover of truth, whom we called “a certain person,” often turns out to be just a boor who bluntly tells his opponent, who does not share his opinion or has made some mistake, that he is stupid. Not only is this lover of truth not distinguished by great insight and he himself does not always do everything right, he is unlikely to tell this truth of his to someone who is stronger and more powerful than him.

So, what is Divine truth and the desire for it, and what does it mean “those who thirst for truth will be satisfied with it”? John of Kronstadt explains this very clearly. A hungry man craves food. After being full, some time passes, and he is hungry again. This is natural in the case of food. But as far as Divine truth is concerned, everything is somewhat different. God loves those who have received the first three beatitudes. For this he gives them a calm and peaceful life. Such people, like a magnet, attract others to themselves. So, Emperor Leo left his throne and went to the desert where Saint Moses Murin lived. The emperor wanted to know wisdom. He had everything he wanted, could satisfy any of his worldly needs, but he was not happy. He longed for wise advice on what to do to regain the joy of life. understood the emperor’s mental anguish. He wished to help the worldly ruler, thirsted for divine truth and received it (was satisfied). Like grace, the holy elder poured out his wise speeches on the emperor and restored his peace of mind.

The Old Testament Adam and Eve lived in the presence of God, and His truth accompanied them at every moment of their lives, but they did not thirst for it. They had nothing to repent of, they did not experience any torment. They were sinless. They did not know losses and sorrows, therefore they did not value their well-being and, without any doubt, agreed to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For this they lost the opportunity to see God and were expelled from paradise.

God gave us an understanding of what we should value and what we should strive for. We know that if we strive to fulfill His commandments, He will reward us and give us real happiness.

About the merciful

There are several parables about mercy in the Gospel. These are the parables of the publican and the mite of the poor widow. We all know that giving alms to the poor is a God-pleasing act. But even if we approach this issue wisely and give the beggar not money, which he will most likely spend on alcohol, but food or clothing, we are not like either the tax collector or the widow. After all, by giving alms to a stranger, we, as a rule, do not infringe upon ourselves. Such mercy is commendable, but it cannot be compared with the mercy of God, who gave people His Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation.

The Beatitudes are not as easy to fulfill as they seem at first glance. However, we are quite capable of them. How often, having learned about the troubles of a person, do we utter the following phrases: “Never mind - you have a lot of problems of your own,” “His fate, of course, is difficult, but everyone has their own cross,” or “Everything is God’s will.” " By saying this, we are removed from the manifestation of true, Divine mercy.

True mercy, subject to a person, can be expressed in such sympathy and desire to help another, which will make a person think about the cause of this misfortune, that is, take the path of fulfilling the first bliss. The greatest mercy is that, having cleansed our own hearts and souls from sin, we ask God to help a stranger to us so that He hears and fulfills it.

About the pure in heart

Mercy must be done only with a pure heart. Only in this case will it be true. Having performed an act of mercy, we are often proud of our action. We rejoice that we have done a good deed, and we rejoice even more that we have fulfilled one of the important beatitudes.

Orthodoxy and other Christian religions encourage free material assistance that people provide to each other and the church. They thank donors, call their names during sermons, award certificates, etc. Unfortunately, all this does not at all promote purity of heart; on the contrary, it encourages vanity and other, no less unpleasant qualities inherent in human nature. What can I say? God loves the one who, in the silence of his home, prays with tears for the granting of health and daily bread to some unfortunate person, about whom he only knows his name.

These words are not a condemnation of those who donate to churches or show their generosity clearly and publicly. Not at all. But those who do mercy in secret maintain purity of heart. The Lord sees this. Not a single good deed goes without reward for him. The one who has received recognition from people has already been awarded - he is in a good mood, everyone praises and honors him. He will not receive the second reward, which is from God, for this deed.

About those who bring peace

The 7th Beatitude speaks of peacemakers. Jesus Christ considers peacemakers to be his equals, and this mission is the most difficult. In every quarrel there is the fault of both one and the other side. It is very difficult to stop hostility. It is not those who have known divine love and bliss who quarrel, but, on the contrary, people who are preoccupied with worldly problems and grievances. Not everyone can establish peace between people obsessed with hurt pride, envy, jealousy or greed. Here it is important to choose the right words and to calm the anger of the parties so that the quarrel stops and does not happen again. The peacemakers will be called the sons of God. This is what Christ, the Son of God, said, and His every word is filled with great meaning.

About those expelled for the truth

War is an excellent way to solve the economic problems of one state at the expense of another. We know examples of how the high standard of living of some peoples is supported by the fact that the governments of their countries start wars around the world. Honest diplomats, journalists, politicians and military personnel who have the opportunity to influence public opinion are always persecuted. They are imprisoned, killed, and defamed with lies. It is impossible to imagine that any of the world wars would end after an honest peacemaker brought to the attention of the general public information about the personal interest of a certain representative of the royal family, the presidential clan, a financial or industrial magnate in the production and supply of weapons to the warring parties.

What pushes famous and authoritative people to speak out against unjust wars, despite the fact that they cannot help but understand that their initiative will be punished? They are driven by the desire for a just world, the preservation of the life and health of civilians, their families, homes and way of life, which means true mercy.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ communicated the Beatitudes to all who listened to him. These were people of different nationalities and faiths. The Lord said that the feat in the name of peace would make them equal to the Son of God. Does it matter to God what faith they profess? Of course not. The Lord came to bring faith and salvation to everyone. Children's doctor Leonid Roshal and Jordanian doctor Anwar el-Said are not Christians, but they are peacemakers who prevented the death of several hundred people captured by terrorists during a performance in a Moscow cultural center. And there are many such examples.

About those oppressed for the love of God

How many Beatitudes did the Lord give to people? Just nine. The commandment about those persecuted for faith and love of God is the last. It refers to a greater extent to the great Christian martyrs who, by their death, established faith in Jesus Christ on earth. These people remained in history as saints. Thanks to them, Christians can now openly profess their faith and not fear for their lives and for their loved ones. These saints were given the grace to intercede before the Lord for sinners and ask for forgiveness for them. They help believers in God cope with various difficulties - both ordinary, everyday ones, and in the fight against the forces of evil. With their heavenly prayers they keep the world from destruction. Akathists and entire liturgies are dedicated to them, which are read in all churches on the days of their remembrance.

You are talking about the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ. He begins it with the Beatitudes.

! Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Here the Lord encourages the desire to seek and love the truth. This also applies to God’s truth: that is, the desire to understand the teachings of God, to delve into the Holy Scriptures. "Truth lovers", being resurrected after the Second Coming of Christ, will learn the whole truth.

! Happy are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Here Christ proclaims love and mercy towards people. Further in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called to love even your enemies. And Christ called love for people itself the second most important commandment after love for God (see Matt. 22:36-40). Love generates mercy, that is, forgiveness. Jesus also constantly taught about forgiveness (see Matt. 6:14, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:37). That is, loving and forgiving people will also be pardoned and forgiven here on earth for their mistakes and then at the Great Judgment.

! Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Here we are talking about spiritual purity, that is, sincere kindness and gentleness. Such people will be rewarded by inheriting eternal life and seeing God.

! Happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. As noted above, Jesus taught love for enemies and merciful forgiveness even for those who offend... The commandments of love are incompatible with bloodshed and wars. Continuing the work of Jesus, the apostles also taught never to respond to evil with evil, but only with good. Because maintaining and strengthening peace is very valuable in the eyes of God. Therefore, the peacemakers in heaven will be called sons of God...

! Happy are those who are exiled for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. From the following verses 11-12 it is clear that it is said here about those who will have to suffer for the truth - for the firmness of faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, faithfulness to His commandments... A place has been prepared for them in the Kingdom of Heaven (see John 14 :1-3).

As you can see, the beatitudes (happiness) are very relevant today, if you use the correct modern translation of the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ.

* Due to the fact that not all programs and browsers display the Greek language, Greek words are given in Latin.

Valery Tatarkin

A truly good Christian life can only be had by one who has faith in Christ in himself and tries to live according to this faith, that is, fulfills the will of God through good deeds.
So that people knew how to live and what to do, God gave them His commandments - the Law of God. The prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments from God approximately 1500 years before the birth of Christ. This happened when the Jews emerged from slavery in Egypt and approached Mount Sinai in the desert.
God Himself wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (slabs). The first four commandments outlined man's duties towards God. The remaining six commandments outlined man's duties towards his fellowmen. People at that time were not yet accustomed to living according to the will of God and easily committed serious crimes. Therefore, for violating many commandments, such as: for idolatry, bad words against God, for bad words against parents, for murder and for violation of marital fidelity, the death penalty was imposed. The Old Testament was dominated by a spirit of severity and punishment. But this severity was useful for people, as it restrained their bad habits, and people little by little began to improve.
The other Nine Commandments (the Beatitudes) are also known, which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave to people at the very beginning of His preaching. The Lord ascended a low mountain near Lake Galilee. The apostles and many people gathered around Him. The Beatitudes are dominated by love and humility. They set out how a person can gradually achieve perfection. The basis of virtue is humility (spiritual poverty). Repentance cleanses the soul, then meekness and love for God’s truth appear in the soul. After this, a person becomes compassionate and merciful and his heart is so purified that he becomes able to see God (feel His presence in his soul).
But the Lord saw that most people choose evil and that evil people will hate and persecute true Christians. Therefore, in the last two beatitudes, the Lord teaches us to patiently endure all injustices and persecution from bad people.
We should focus our attention not on the fleeting trials that are inevitable in this temporary life, but on the eternal bliss that God has prepared for people who love Him.
Most of the commandments of the Old Testament tell us what we should not do, but the commandments of the New Testament teach us how to act and what to strive for.
The content of all the commandments of both the Old and New Testaments can be summarized in two commandments of love given by Christ: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is similar to it—thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. " And the Lord also gave us the right guidance on how to act: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them.”

The Beatitudes.

Explanation of the Beatitudes.

The First Beatitude.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Second Beatitude.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

The Third Beatitude.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

The Fourth Beatitude.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

The Fifth Beatitude.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy."

The Sixth Beatitude.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

The Seventh Beatitude.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

The Eighth Beatitude.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The Ninth Beatitude.

“Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all sorts of unjust things against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”