Ang sarap mag-type. Yun lang ang masasabi ko. Lahat ng pagod, inis at kalungkutan ko nawala. Oh ayan na, if you have any question regarding the reviewer, do not hesitate to ask me. Haha joke lang, si Mrs. Abreu na lang tanungin niyo. Di hamak na mas banal naman yun sa'kin eh. Baka bumagsak pa kayo sa CL test pag ako yung tinanong niyo >:).
REVIEWER ON THE BEATITUDES
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:8)
· “ptochos” – Greek word for poor or destitute; “ebion” and “ani” – Hebrew words which mean oppressed, downtrodden, no influence, and only God indicates their rights.
· Matthew – added “in spirit” – means not only poor materially but includes those who are humble and lowly of heart.
· The beatitude is an acceptance of poverty as a condition. It is not poverty itself but poverty in spirit that is blessed. The beatitude is addressed to the poor – to be poor in spirit means to remain open and truthful in God’s love.
· The beatitude is addressed to the rich – recognizing the true source of their resources and wealth – to strive to live a simple life so they may share their abundance with those who have less.
- “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Mt. 5:4)
· “panthein” – Greek word for intense mourning
· For Matthew - we should mourn over sin, the sufferings of the world, injustices and loss of freedom. Our mourning is blessed with God’s comfort. When we pour ourselves in healing the suffering of others, we ourselves are healed and comforted (wounded healers).
- “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land.” (Mt. 5:5)
· Meekness is NOT passivity or conformism. It is NOT a sign of weakness.
· It is a gentleness of spirit, the fruit of a person’s mastery of his/her passions and emotions.
· It is a gentleness coming from the strength and power of a person’s union with God.
· The capacity to bear conflicts and not easily provoked to anger, not embarking on revenge quickly and is free from bitterness, having tranquility and serenity of spirit.
· Demands the passion to right the wrong and confront the injustice.
· Offers compassion to heal the wronged and renewal to the wrong doer.
· Meekness comes from an all embracing trust, obedience and surrender to God as the source of one’s strength and serenity. Land is a basic commodity where man/woman finds his/her security. “To inherit the land” describes the true identity and security which man finds God.
· Meekness comes from the deep conviction and experience of God’s power within as we totally dedicated ourselves to his will and plan. If God is God and we are his people and the land is his which is ours to use as stewards, then to be meek means to use power for service to render possessions to empower the poor, and to take advantage of one’s prestige to advance the cause of those who are deprived.
- “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Mt. 5:6)
· Thirst, in the bible, is often a symbol of an ardent desire for God.
· The deepest hunger and thirst of the human heart is the thirst and hunger for the righteousness of God, fulfilled and realized in the justice.
· Blessed are the persons who devote their lives to attain the vindications of what is right, of the triumph of the righteousness of God here and now. There is the joy and satisfaction which alone God can give.
· The beatitude speaks of justice as the FIRST DEMAND OF LOVE. Insincere works of “charity” are not true.
· Christian love when the poor are not given what is rightfully theirs.
· Satisfactions – used to express the joy which results from the attainment of a divine gift.
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall attain mercy.” (Mt. 5:7)
· The Hebrew word for mercy, “chesed”, means more than pity for someone in trouble. It is not simply an emotion but an action.
· God’s mercy is the cause and condition of our mercy for others. Only those who have known God’s mercy and compassion in Christ can truly be merciful and compassionate to others. God himself is mercy, thus, the deepest human experience of God is the experience of his mercy mediated through others.
· Mercy is powerful because it overcomes self-centeredness where a person reaches out in generosity and kindness, even laying down his life for others.
· God is merciful because He himself is mercy.
- “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Mt. 5:8)
· Purity of heart does not only mean to be chaste or sinless.
· Pure in heart are those who are upright
o Whose motives are sincere
o Who are totally single-minded in purpose
o Whose interests are undivided
o Who, in pain or joy, center their hearts on the Lord
o Who seek God and his will in all things
· “For where one’s treasure is, there is one’s heart also…”. Those who are pure of heart undergo an honest self-examination which hopefully results in a total and wholehearted commitment to God’s will and plan.
· “To see God” is to experience God’ presence in the grace and blessing of an intimate communion with him as the person strives to live according to His will.
· Only Jesus, He of the purest heart, can enable us to attain the blessing of seeing God.
- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Mt. 5:9)
· Peace is not only the absence of war.
· The biblical concept of peace, “shalom”, points to the human condition where people live in complete harmony with themselves, with their fellowmen, with nature and with God.
· Peace is both a gift of God and an urgent task.
· The beatitude promises blessings to the peacemaker not to the peacekeeper.
· Peacekeepers, evading all issues only to avoid all trouble, unpleasantness and unpopularity, succeed only in creating more trouble and ultimately destroying peace.
· The peacemakers toil actively and uncompromisingly against all forces that violate peace. They say “no” to violence but “yes” to peace even to the point of laying themselves at the mercy of the very violence they reject.
· To be “a son of God” means to be in communion with God.
· Peace is founded on love. Peace is from the heart; it requires respect, humility and self-centeredness (wait parang may mali… self-centeredness? Masama yun ‘di ba? Anyway…)
· Peace is founded on justice. When justice is violated, peace is destroyed. There is no peace without justice.
· Peace is founded on truth. When truth is compromised, peace is denied.
- “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:10)
· Those whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of righteousness have truly dedicated their lives to Jesus. God’s righteousness is a reality in Jesus, and thus the person who suffers for righteousness does not suffer for something but for somebody.
· A suffering born of love and commitment is a suffering which is truly united with the suffering of the Crucified Christ. Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are promised to reign of God. Since the reign of God is a reality in the very person of Jesus, the reward is intimacy and communion with Jesus in the here and now and its consumption in the end of time.
- “Blessed are you when they insult you and utter every kind of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
GOOD LUCK.
