Video Transcript
Edmund: Do you ever use a word, and then realize you don’t really know what that word means? The word “happy,” for example. It’s a word that Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, thought was so important to reflect on that he arguably wrote more about this word than any other author or philosopher until the modern era.
Emily: I see where you’re going. We use “happy” to mean a lot of different things. Sometimes, we use it to mean a range of positive feelings, such as pleasure or joy. And we also seem to use the word to describe an overall appreciation and contentment with life.
Edmund: Yeah, I might say, “I’m feeling really happy today because I got some good news.” Or I might listen to a friend give me a bunch of life updates and ask, “But does that make you happy?”
Emily: Aristotle says that happiness was the ultimate purpose of our human existence. He describes it as the fullest development of our highest human powers – our intellect and our will – over our lifetime.
Edmund: And you’ll remember that God created us with these faculties of our intellect and will, and with a desire to be happy. He also gave us clarity on how to seek goodness with our will through the 10 Commandments and through Jesus’ teaching. And He gives us His truth to fill our minds with.
Emily: God wants to give us a fullness of truth that is so much more than anything we could ever come up with on our own. He wants us to see how He sees the world!
Edmund: Yeah we often miss this. I know I have. This is what God was revealing to us through Jesus. Our minds and wills are capable of being even happier than a type of natural happiness we can have here on earth. We can experience God’s divine and supernatural happiness, called “beatitude”.
Emily: The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin “beatus” which means “blessed” or “blessed one”. And what we’re talking about is more than just a passing, temporary happiness from created things here on earth. Though it includes right acting and right thinking it’s something much greater. Jesus reveals that the Father’s plan for us doesn’t stop at just avoiding sin, which makes us unhappy. Jesus elevates the Commandments and reveals a deeper way of happiness — divine happiness — that we can find in God alone.
Edmund: In fact, the Catechism, the Bible, salvation history, and the whole of the faith are all a series of blessings that God wants to give us because His plan is for us to experience this “beatitude.”
Emily: The Catechism says in paragraph 1716, “The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching.”
Edmund: I’m sure we’ve probably heard about the Beatitudes. But I’ll be honest, for most of my life they were a part of Jesus’ preaching that I didn’t really understand and they almost seemed paradoxical. I never knew it was the very heart of His preaching.
Emily: Jesus invites us to have a response of faith, in love, and in return, promises us happiness, which we can hope for. Jesus reveals God’s way of happiness in the Beatitudes. We’re called to begin experiencing some of this supernaturally happy life even here on earth, and Jesus tells us how to experience this type of deep, lasting happiness.
Edmund: There are eight beatitudes, or eight “happy are you’s”. Each beatitude has a condition and then a result.
Emily: The Catechism explains in paragraph 1717, that they, the Beatitudes, “shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ’s disciples…” The language in the Beatitudes might seem counterintuitive but that’s the paradox – when things are tough, the grace that comes through the experience blesses us. And this is what leads to true happiness.
Edmund: Jesus elevates the Commandments, and reveals God’s way of happiness through these beatitudes.
Emily:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
Edmund: Let’s ask God for the grace to live out the Beatitudes, and thank Him for the supernatural and abundant blessing He wants to lead us towards in heaven.
