{"id":44830,"date":"2025-02-16T11:55:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T11:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gloireadieu.com\/english\/?p=44830"},"modified":"2025-02-16T11:55:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T11:55:29","slug":"the-true-blessings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gloireadieu.com\/english\/blog\/the-true-blessings.html","title":{"rendered":"The True Blessings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBlessed are you who are poor\u2026
\n<\/strong>Blessed are you who are now hungry\u2026
\n<\/strong>Blessed are you who are now weeping\u2026
\n<\/strong>Blessed are you when people hate you\u2026
\n<\/strong>Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!\u201d\u00a0 (See Luke 6:20-23)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are the above statements typos?\u00a0 Did Jesus<\/a> really say these things?<\/p>\n

At first, the Beatitudes can seem quite confusing.\u00a0 And when we strive to live them, they can be very challenging.\u00a0 Why is it blessed to be poor and hungry?\u00a0 Why is one blessed who is weeping and hated?\u00a0 These are difficult questions with perfect answers.<\/p>\n

The truth is that each Beatitude ends with a glorious outcome when fully embraced in accord with the will of God.\u00a0 Poverty, hunger, sorrow and persecution are not, by themselves, blessings.\u00a0 But when they befall us they do offer an opportunity for a blessing from God<\/a> that far surpasses any difficulty the initial challenge presents.<\/p>\n

Poverty affords one the opportunity to seek out the riches of Heaven above all else.\u00a0 Hunger drives a person to seek the food of God that sustains beyond what the world can offer.\u00a0 Weeping, when caused by one\u2019s own sin or the sins of others, helps us seek justice, repentance, truth and mercy.\u00a0 And persecution on account of Christ<\/a> enables us to be purified in our faith and to trust in God in a way that leaves us abundantly blessed and filled with joy.<\/p>\n

At first, the Beatitudes may not make sense to us.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that they are contrary to our human reason.\u00a0 Rather, the Beatitudes go beyond what immediately makes sense and they enable us to live on a whole new level of faith, hope and love.\u00a0 They teach us that the wisdom of God is far beyond our own limited human understanding.<\/p>\n

Reflect, today, upon the incredible wisdom of God<\/a> as He reveals these, the deepest teachings of the spiritual life.\u00a0 At very least, try to reflect upon the fact that God\u2019s wisdom is far above your wisdom.\u00a0 If you struggle to make sense of something painful and difficult in your life, know that God has an answer if you but seek out His wisdom.<\/p>\n

Lord, help me to find blessings in the many challenges and hardships of life.\u00a0 Rather than seeing my crosses as evil, help me to see Your hand at work in transforming them and to experience a greater outpouring of Your grace in all things.\u00a0 Jesus, I trust in You.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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