The First Beatitude

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

To be "poor in spirit" means to understand and realize out own guilt and problems. In this Beatitude, our minds and our spirits must be lucid in order to comprehend the teachings of God. Living this Beatitude also allows one to have a clear mind, allowing that person to thoughtfully do the will of God. Therefore, I believe that this Beatitude enables a person to consistently have a clear mind to make the right choices that may benefit the lives of others, to freely do the will of God, and to avoid actions or emotions such as pride to cause us to sin.

An example of a person practicing this Beatitude may be a ruthless gang leader who doesn't think about the people he may be hurting as a result of his violent, careless action. Then, one day while walking down a street, he saw a crucifix, causing him to freeze for a short period of time. Suddenly, this gang leader realized that his actions were wrong and careless, so he decided to repent and change his ways to help people instead of terrorizing them.

The Second Beatitude

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

While living in this Beatitude, one must appreciate and understand that all of our gifts have come from God. With this mentality, one would be capable of growing great love and appreciation for Jesus. However, living this Beatitude causes a person to regret their own sins, which may have hurt many people. An example of a person living this Beatitude may be a student who has hurt the feelings of his friend. Overtime, this student would feel a heavy burden of regret for his sins. As a result, this student went to confession to restore his relationship with God. Shortly after confession, this student confronted his friend to apologize and to restore their friendship.

The Third Beatitude

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth."

To be meek is to be humble and kind. In other words, Christians should learn to have a peaceful mind, even while under the pressure of hardships. In addition to being humble and kind to other people, Christians must also be obedient to God instead of resisting God, in order to bring about peace throughout the world. An example of a person being meek may be one who wishes to converse intead of fighting to end a certain dilemma.

The Fourth Beatitude

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Those who "hunger and thirst" for a change, are people who are willing to work hard to acquire what is needed. To live this Beatitude, one must yearn for justice and peace for all. In order to attain this desire, one must have a mind that is continuously working to obtain this justice and peace.

Anyone can have a "hunger and thirst for righteousness." All that a person need is a persistent mind and the will to obtain justice and peace through the consistent practice of peace and justice.

The Fifth Beatitude

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

As Christians, we are obliged to always be willing to forgive those who have wronged or hurt us. By forgiving others, we are able to feel good about ourselves, and the person who was forgiven may have been relieved from the burden caused the wrong they hae done. Thus, showing mercy may be able to strengthen relationships and form peace amongst one another. As humans, we all make mistakes; and if we are willing to forgive others who have harmed us, we may be forgiven by the people whom we have harmed. An example of showing mercy or forgiveness may be when a friends of yours spread false rumors about you. Instead of hating that friend for the rest of the school year, you could easily confront him forgive him for what he has done.

The Sixth Beatitude

"Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."

To be pure of heart means to help someone without hoping for a favor in return. To live this Beatitude, our minds and hearts must get rid of all expectations of thoughts of personal gain. Instead, our minds and hearts should be filled with the hope of being able to help someone out to make them feel better, or even to change their total outlook in life. As Christians, we must not think of profits we might gain while helping others, but we must think about how others may benefit while we are coming to aid them. The Salvation Army is a great example to display those who are pure of heart. The Salvation Army work very hard in order to raise money and obtain clothing to those who really need it. Yet, after all this work the Salvation Army expects nothing in return for their work.

The Seventh Beatitude

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Peace. This is all that many nations desire from one another. However, subtle disagreements usually prevents peace from being achieved. I believe that the first step of obtaining universal peace is to first encourage peaceful relations between ethnic groups in one's nation first.

As one may perceive, peace usually starts with one person and spreads to others. This person should labor persistently to bring peace among other people, who are actually willing to obtain peace. Therefore, I believe that this Beatitude encourages human beings to learn to be peaceful and friendly to each other. Only then would these peacemakers be called the children of God. Anyone is capable of being an example of a peacemaker. The only thing that is needed is a good conscience and the desire to have peaceful relationships with those around them.

The Eighth Beatitude

"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

This Beatitude states that Christians should consistently work for what they believe would benefit the lives of all those around them. Christians who choose to tenaciously hold on to their beliefs and incessantly work to put their beliefs into practice to help the people who are truly in need would be presented with the Kingdom of Heaven. Although we do not usually think of it, soldiers of the United States practice the Eighth Beatitude everyday. These brave men and women are willing to be seperated from their families in order to ensure the safety of nations around the world by fighting to get rid of terrorists and nuclear weapons.