
Jesus teaches disciples. The crowds are left in the valley. The Beatitudes are only taught to those whom Jesus has fed and healed and are prepared to leave the world. In Matthew’s account, the crowd are taught parables!
It is not my job to teach beatitudes. It is my place to inspire you to leave the world and to be taught by Jesus!
The Beatitudes were not in the Baltimore (Green) Catechism. They are the centre of the New Catechism.
We are still teaching that we should examine our conscience by the Ten Commandments. Should we not examine our conscience according to the Beatitudes?
All of the Commandments are in the Beatitudes. Little of the Beatitudes is in the Commandments.
What is the difference between a Beatitude and a Commandment? The simple answer is that on a good day we can keep the commandments by will power and effort. The Beatitudes are ideals that need the grace of the Holy Spirit to even start and can only be attained fully in Heaven. For example, if I was to meet the great St Francis in his earthly days and if I was to ask him if he was poor in spirit, I am sure he would answer: “Not yet, but I am working on it with God’s grace.” Jesus taught ideals and impossible dreams, but he also taught we can be canonised for trying!!!
The Sermon on the Mount covers three chapters in Matthew. It starts with the Beatitudes. A disciple is someone who has experienced the touch of Jesus as he ministers to the crowds and has accepted the invitation of Jesus to go up the mountain to be taught by him. His teaching is about happiness.