Reflection on the Eight Beatitudes

In the story of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us about the Eight
Beatitudes. Beatitudes are blessings or promises of true happiness. Jesus' Eight
Beatitudes challenge us to humble ourselves. They teach us that those in our society that
are marginalized and less fortunate than us are the ones that will get the greatest rewards
in heaven. The Eight Beatitudes also act as stepping stones that lead us to eternal life.
They challenge us to help those who are less fortunate than us, so that we may share in
their rewards in heaven. The Eight Beatitudes provide us with hope and guidance when
we are facing hard times by reminding us that if we live as virtuous people who are
honest, just, and loving, we will one day share in a perfect union with God.
The Eight Beatitudes are an important part of our faith. This is because the
Church uses them to interpret and apply the two greatest commandments: to love God
with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind and to love our neighbour
as ourself. If we allow ourselves to be guided by the Eight Beatitudes when we are
making decisions, we can ensure that we are following Jesus two greatest
commandments. The Eight Beatitudes And the Ten Commandments of Moses also go
hand in hand. The Ten Commandment warn us against immoral acts such as stealing and
tell us to show love and respect for our neighbours, those with legitimate authority, and
God. The Eight Beatitudes bear a similar message of love and making righteous and just
choices. The Eight Beatitudes and the commandments are all the stepping stones to
heaven. By following the Ten Commandments and being guided by the Eight Beatitudes
we will receive blessings and happiness in this world as well as even greater rewards in
the world to come.

Even though the Eight Beatitudes were originally given to people living during
Jesus time, they apply to us as well. The Eight Beatitudes can inform our conscience and
help to guide us. Our conscience is Gods voice inside of us. It helps us by guiding us
when we are making moral decisions. It helps us to determine the loving thing to do.
When we are faced with a moral decision, we can use the SEE-JUDGE-ACTEVALUATE model to help us to make the right decision. When using this model, we
must first recognize the problem. Then we must analyze the options and evaluating which
options would be the most loving thing to do. We would then choose the most loving
option. Lastly, we would reflect on our decision and how it affected our relationship with
ourselves, God and others.When we are evaluating our options, we must always
remember to never do evil, to treat others with love and respect, and that our decision
should reflect a genuine concern for other people. We can use the Eight Beatitudes as a
guideline when we are trying to evaluate our options because they convey a very similar
message. They teach us to stand up for righteousness and to be pure at heart. They
challenge us show love and respect to everybody and to be forgiving, peaceful and
humble. By allowing ourselves to be guided by the Eight Beatitudes, we will be more
likely to make loving and just choices in our lives.
An example of a situation where we can use the Eight Beatitudes to make a
decision is as follows: Your friend has stolen something, but has returned it. You are not
sure if you should forgive him. However, the beatitudes teach us to be merciful and
forgiving towards others. We are also called to be peaceful and to act out of genuine and
Christ-like love for others. Because of this, we can conclude that forgiving your friend
instead of fighting with him or holding a grudge against him is the loving thing to do.

The Eight Beatitudes also help us to develop our virtues. Virtues are habits and
attitudes that God has given us to help guide our decisions, conducts and passions. If we
make our decisions according to the Eight Beatitudes, we will become people who are
faithful, loving, righteous, generous, forgiving, hopeful, and humble. These attributes will
allow us to become the virtuous people that God expects us to be as a part of our
covenant with him. By living out the Eight Beatitudes in our everyday lives, we are
brought closer to Gods promise of eternal life.
In conclusion, the Eight Beatitudes are a very large and important part of our
faith. They act as a guideline as to how we should live our lives and as a stepping stone to
heaven. It is only by living out the Beatitudes everyday that we can develop our
relationship with God and leading the virtuous lives that God intended for us to live.