The Poor Of Spirit

Beati pauperes spiritu: quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum. Pauper spiritu est humilis corde: id est, pauperem spiritum habens, qui non maga sapit de se. Sicut ex diverso dives spiritu intelligitur magna de se sapiens, et superbus, qui non implet mandatum Christi dicentis: Nisi conversi facti fueritis sicut puer iste, non intrabitis in regnum coelorum. Qui enim jam conversus factus est sicut puer, ille est et pauper spiritu. Et qui pauper est spiritu, ille conversus factus est sicut puer. Et secundum testimonium quidem Christi,et Apostoli, Plentiudo legis dilectio est; tamen nutrix dilectionis humilitas est, et totius mali odii mater superbia. Ergo totius boni initium humilitas est, et totius mali superbia. Denique et perditionis initium a superbia coepit per diabolum, initiumque salutis ab humilitate per Christum: propterea convenienter et ominum beatituduinem humilitarem fecit initium. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia IX Source: Migne PG 56.680

Blessed are the poor of spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 1 Poverty of spirit is a humble heart, 2 that is, he who is poor of spirit does not think great things about himself. So on the contrary he is rich in spirit who thinks great things about himself and he is proud and does not fulfil the commandment of Christ which says, 'Unless you turn and become as this child you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.' 3 For he who has turned is like a child who is poor in spirit, and he who is poor in spirit has turned and become as a child. And according to the testimony of Christ and the Apostle, 'Love is the fullness of the law,' 4 but humility is the nurse of love, and pride is the mother of every hateful evil. Therefore humility is the beginning of every good, and pride of every evil. Finally the beginning of damnation begins by pride through the devil, and the beginning of salvation by humility through Christ. Hence it was fitting that He made humility the beginning of all the beatitudes. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 9 1 Mt 5.3 2 Lk 6.20 3 Mt 18.5 4 Rom 13.10

A Beginning Of Blessings

Έπεὶ ούν έμπέφυκέπως τὸ κατά τήν ἔπαρσιν πάθος παντὶ σχεδὸν τὸ κοινωνοῦντι της άνθρωπίνης φύσεως, διά τούτο έντεΰθεν τών μακαρισμών ό Κύριος άρχεται, οίον άρχέγονόν τι κακὸν έκβάλλων έκ της ἔξεως ήμών τήν ύπερηφανίαν, έν τώ συμβουλεύειν μιμήσασθαι τὸν έκουσίως πτωχεύσαντα, ὁς έστιν άληθώς μακάριος, ΐνα έν ᾡ δυνάμεθα καθώς ἂν οἴοί τε ὦμεν ὁμοιωθέντες έκ τοῦ πτωχεῦσαι κατά προαίρεσιν, καὶ τήν τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ κοινωνίαν έφελκυσώμεθα. Τούτο γάρ φρoνείσθω, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμίν, ὃ καί έν Χριστφ Ίησον· ὃς έν μορφῇ θεον ύπάρχων, οὐχ άρπαγμὸν ήγήσατο τὸ είναι ἰσα θεω· άλλ' έαυτον έκένωσε μορφών δούλον λαβών. Τί πτωχότερον έπὶ θεοῦ τῆς τοῦ δούλου μορφής; Τί ταπεινότερον έπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τών ὂντων, ή τὸ είς κοινωνίαν της πτωχής ήμών φύσεως έλθεϊν; Ό Βασιλεύς τών βασιλευόντων, καὶ Κύριος τών κυριευόντων έθελόντως τήν της δουλείας μορφήν ύποδύεται· ὁ Κριτής τοῦ παντὸς, ὑπόφορος τοϊς δυναστεύουσι γίνεται· ό τής κτίσεως Κύριος έν σπηλαίῷ κατάγεται· ό τοΰ παντὸς περιδεδραγμένος ούχ εύρίσκει τόπον έν τώ καταλύματι, άλλ' έν τή φάτνη τών άλόγων ζώων παραρριπτεῖταί ό καθαρὸς καὶ άκήρατος. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους, Logos A', Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Source: Migne PG 44.1201b-c

Since, then, the fault of arrogance is implanted in almost everyone who partakes of human nature, the Lord begins the Beatitudes with 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' 1 and with this beginning uproots the evil of pride from our character by counselling us to imitate Him who became poor of His own will, He who is the truly blessed, so that, as far as we are able, we may become like Him in this way, that by being poor by our own choice we are drawn to partake of His blessedness. 'Be of this mind,' as it was said, 'which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.' 2 What greater poverty is there for God than the form of a servant? What is more humbling for the King of all things than to partake of our poor nature? The King of kings, the Lord of lords, chooses to put on the garment of servitude, the Judge of all things becomes a subject of rulers, the Lord of creation dwells in a cave, He who encompasses everything finds no place in the inn but is cast aside into the manger of irrational beasts. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes, from the First Oration, on 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' 1 Mt 5.3 2 2 Phil 2.5-7

Mourning And Healing

Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου μακαριστὸν ὑπο λαβεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ πένθος, τὸ ἐπὶ πλημμελήμασι καὶ ἁμαρτίαις γινόμενον, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Παύλου περὶ τῆς λύπης διδασκαλίαν, τοῦ φήσαντος, μὴ ἒν εἶναι λύπης εἶδος, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν κοσμικὸν, τὸ δὲ κατὰ Θεὸν ἐνερ γούμενον. Καὶ τῆς μὲν κοσμικῆς λύπης, θάνατον εἶναι τὸ ἔργον· τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν, σωτηρίαν ἐκ μετανοίας τοῖς λυπουμένοις ἐργάζεσθαι. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ μακαρίζεσθαι τὸ τοιοῦτον τῆς ψυχῆς πάθος ἐστὶν, ὅταν ἐν αἰσθήσει γενομένη τοῦ χείρονος, τὸν ἐν κακίᾳ βίον ἀπολοφύρηται. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σωματικῶν ἀῤῥωστημάτων, οἷς ἂν πάρετον ἐξ ἐπηρείας τινὸς γένηταί τι μέρος τοῦ σώματος, σημεῖον τοῦ νενεκρῶσθαι τὸ παρειμένον ἡ ἀναλγησία γίνεται· εἰ δὲ κατά τινα τέχνην ἰατρικὴν ἡ ζωτικὴ πάλιν αἴσθησις ἐπαναχθείη τῷ σώματι, χαίρουσιν ἤδη πονοῦντος τοῦ μέρους, αὐτός τε ὁ κάμνων καὶ οἱ τὴν θεραπείαν προσάγοντες, τεκμηρίῳ χρώμενοι τοῦ πρὸς ὑγίειαν τρέψαι τὸ πάθος, τὸ ἐν αἰσθήσει τῶν δριμυσσόντων ἤδη γενέσθαι τὸ μέλος· οὕτως ἐπειδὰν, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἀπηλγηκότες τινὲς παραδῶσι τῷ καθ' ἁμαρτίαν βίῳ ἑαυτοὺς, νεκροί τινες ὄντως καὶ πάρετοι τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου γενόμενοι, οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσιν ὧν ποιοῦσιν τὴν αἴσθησιν. Εἰ δὲ καθάψαιτό τις αὐτῶν ὁ ἰατρεύων λόγος, οἷον διά τινων θερμῶν τε καὶ διακαιόντων φαρμάκων, λέγω δὲ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν τῆς μελλούσης κρίσεως ἀπειλῶν, καὶ διὰ βάθους τὴν καρδίαν τῷ φόβῳ τῶν προσδοκωμένων δριμύξειεν, γεέννης φόβον, καὶ πῦρ μὴ σβεννύμενον, καὶ ἀτελεύτητον σκώληκα, καὶ βρυγμὸν ὀδόντων, καὶ κλαυθμὸν ἀδιάλειπτον, καὶ σκότος ἐξώτερον, καὶ ἅπαντα τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἷόν τινα θερμὰ καὶ δριμέα φάρμακα τῷ νεναρκηκότι διὰ τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν παθημάτων ἐντρίβων καὶ ἀναθάλπων, εἰς αἴσθησιν αὐτὸν ἀγάγοι τοῦ ἐν ᾧ ἦν βίου, μακαριστὸν αὐτὸν ἀπεργάσηται, τὴν ὀδυνηρὰν αἴσθησιν τῇ ψυχῇ ἐμποιήσας. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους, Logos Γ', Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται Source: Migne PG 44.1220d-1221b

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted 1 Firstly, then, one can take that mourning to be blessed which follows the errors of sins, according to the teaching of Paul on sorrow, which says that there is not just one kind of sorrow, but there is one of the world and one that is brought about by God, and the work of the worldly sorrow is death, but the other in those mourning works salvation through repentance. 2 For truly such suffering cannot be excluded from the sorrow that is called blessed when a soul bewails its wicked life because it feels its badness. It is as with bodily disorders, so that if because of some accident a limb of the body has become paralysed, then a lack of a sense of pain is a sign that the afflicted limb has gone dead, but if the physician's art restores to the body the sensation of life, there is gladness over the suffering of the part because it is a sign that health is being restored since the limb can now sense that which causes pain. Thus, as the Apostle says, if people give themselves to sin because they no longer feel pain in it, then they have become truly paralyzed and are dead to the virtuous life, for they have no feeling for what they are doing. But if a healing word lays hold of them like some bitter medicine, and I speak here of the fierce threats of the judgement to come, and it pierces the heart to its depths with the fear of the things that are to be expected, the terror of hell, and the unquenchable fire, and the worm that does not die, and the gnashing of teeth, and the perpetual weeping, and the outer darkness, all these things are administered like bitter medicines so that the man who has died by the passions and pleasures is revived again and senses the sort of life he had been leading, and he is made blessed by the pain he feels in his soul. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes, from the Third Oration, on 'Blessed are they who weep for they shall be comforted.' 1 Mt 5.4 2 2 Cor 7.10

Suffering And Blessings

Mακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν Τίς οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅσῳ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι τὸ ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι χαλεπώτερον κέκριται; Τοῦτο µέν τοι πολλάκις τὸ δοκοῦν χαλεπὸν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον εὐκληρίας πολλοῖς αἴτιον γίνεται, οἷον περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται· ὃς ἐπιβουλευθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ τῆς µετ' αὐτῶν συν διαγωγῆς ἀπελαθεὶς, διὰ τῆς πράσεως βασιλεὺς ἀν εδείχθη τῶν ἐπιβεβουλευκότων, οὐκ ἂν ἴσως προελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ τηλικοῦτον ἀξίωµα, µὴ τοῦ φθόνου διὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἐκείνης τὴν βασιλείαν ὁδοποιήσαντος. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν εἴ τις τοῦ µέλλοντος τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχων, προεῖπε τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, ὅτι Ἐπιβουλευθεὶς µακάριος ἔσῃ, οὐκ ἂν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου πιθανὸς ἔδοξε τῷ ἀκούοντι, πρὸς τὸ παραχρῆµα λυπηρὸν ὁρῶντι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ᾠήθη δυνατὸν εἶναι κακῆς προαιρέσεως ἀγαθὸν ἀνα δειχθῆναι τὸ πέρας· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ τῶν τυράννων τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐπαγόµενος διωγµὸς, πολὺ κατὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν τὸ ἀλγεινὸν ἔχων, δυσπαράδεκτον ποιεῖ τοῖς σαρκωδεστέροις τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν αὐτοῖς προκειµένην τῆς βασιλείας ἐλπίδα· ἀλλ' ὁ Κύριος τὸ σαθρὸν ὑπεριδὼν τῆς φύσεως, προαναφωνεῖ τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις, οἷόν ἐστι τῆς ἀγωνίας τὸ πέρας, ἵνα τῇ τῆς βασιλείας ἐλπίδι τὴν πρόσκαιρον τῶν ἀλγεινῶν αἴσθησιν εὐκόλως καταπαλαίσωσιν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους, Λόγος Ηʹ Source: Migne PG 44.1296a-b

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 1 Who does not know how more difficult it is to bear if instead of being loved we are schemed against? Yet often what seems hard becomes a cause of happiness for many even in this life, which is shown in the story of Joseph, he who was plotted against by his brothers and they expelled him from their company, but because of this he became the king of those who had plotted, 1 and perhaps he would not have attained to such great dignity had not the envy of the plotters made a way for that kingdom. If, then, someone who had knowledge of the future had told Joseph, 'You are being plotted against, you will be blessed,' it would not have appeared immediately believable to him who heard, for looking only to present distress, he would not have thought it possible that evil purpose could reach a good end. So here the persecution of the faithful by tyrants, in which there is much material pain, makes it difficult for those who are more worldly minded to admit the hope of the kingdom that is to be brought forth by these pains, but the Lord, looking down on the infirmity of our nature, foretells to the weak what the goal of the struggle is, so that with hope of the kingdom they more easily triumph over the transient feelings of pain. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes, from the Eighth Oration 1 Mt 5.10 2 Gen 37-45

Various Hungers

Mακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται Ὥσπερ δέ κατά την αίσθητήν ταύτην την τροφήν ἔχομεν, ού των αύτών πάντες έφίενται, αλλά μερίζεται πολλάκις πρὸς τά εἴδη τών ἐδωδίμων ή τῶν μετ εχόντων ἐπιθυμία, καὶ ό μέν τις έπιτέρπεται τοϊς γλυκαίνουσιν, άλλος πρὸς τά ὁριμύσσοντά τε καὶ θερμαίνοντα την ὁρμήν ἔχει· ἕτερος δέ τοϊς άλμώδεσι, καὶ άλλος τοις παραστύφουσιν ήδεται' συμβαίνει δέ πολλάκις μή κατά τδ λυσιτελοΰν έγγίνεσθαι την ὁρμήν έκάστῳ της βρώσεως, κατά γάρ τινα κράσεως ἰδιότητα πρός τι πάθος έπιῥῥεπῶς τις ἒχων, τρέφει τήν νόσον τῇ τών κατ' άλλήλων βρωμάτων ποιότητι· εί δέ πρὸς τά ώφελοΰντα τήν ὁρμήν σχοίη, πάντως έν ύγιεία βιώσεται, τής τροφής αύτώ συντηρούσης τήν εύεξίαν· ούτως καὶ έπ'ι τής ψυχής τροφής ού πάντων πρὸς τὸ αύτὸ ῥέπουσιν αί έπιθυμίαι. Οί μέν γάρ δόξης, ἢ πλούτου, ἢ τίνος κοσμικής περιφανείας ὸρέγονται, άλλοις περὶ τήν τράπεζαν άσχολδς έστιν ή ὀρεξις, ἕτεροι τδν φθoνον, ὥς τινα δηλητηριώδη τροφήν προθύμως άναλαμβάνουσιν είσΐν δέ τίνες οίς τo τή φύσει καλὸν έν ὀρέξει γίνεται. Φύσει δέ καλὸν άεὶ καὶ πάσι τοΰτό έστιν, μή άλλου τινὸς ἒνεκέν έστιν αίρετὸν, άλλ' αύτὸ δι' έαυτὸ ἐπιθυμητὸν, άεὶ ώσαύτως ἔχον, καὶ οὐδέποτε άμβλυνόμενον κόρῳ. Διά τούτο μακαρίζει δ Λδγος ού τοί'ς άπλώς πεινώντας, άλλ' οΐ; πρδς τήν άληθή δικαιοσύνην ή έπιθυμία τήν ῥoπήν ἔχει. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους, Λόγος Δ' Source: Migne PG 44.1233a-c

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled 1 But as it is with material food that not all desire the same thing, but there is often difference in appetite for the types of food eaten, and some delight in sweet things, and others in sharp and hot things, and others in salty foodstuffs, and others have pleasure in bitterness, and often it happens that it is not for utility and comfort that the appetite for food is found in a man, for if someone with his own temperament inclines to something harmful, he will nourish himself by his predilection on the wrong kinds of food, but then if he begins to desire those things which benefit, by the nourishment of what preserves he will live with an inclination to health, so in the same way it happens with the nourishment of the soul, that not everyone's desire turns and inclines to the same thing. For some desire glory, some wealth, others worldly splendour, and others have the appetite fixed on the things of the table, and others take up the poison of envy for their food, but then there are not a few who desire that which is good and noble. And what is good in its nature is always good for everyone, and it is not desirable for the sake of something else but in itself, and it is always the same and satiety can never suppress it nor dull it. Therefore the Word holds them blessed who not only hunger but who do so with a propensity and inclination for true righteousness. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes, from the Fourth Oration 1 Mt 5.7

Ways Of Teaching

Ἰδὼν δὲ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος, καὶ καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ: καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς λέγων... Διὰ τί πρόσκειται τὸ, Ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ; φαίνεται γὰρ, ὅτι περιττόν ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' οὐχί· καὶ μή ἀνοίγων γὰρ τὸ στόμα, ἐδίδασκεν. Πῶς; δὶα τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν θαυμάτων· νῦν δὲ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα, διδάσκει. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον, Κεφαλὴ E' Source: Migne PG 123.188a

Seeing the crowd He went up the mountain, and His disciples came to Him sitting there, and He opened His mouth, teaching them, saying... 1 Why does it say here that 'He opened His mouth'? It seems to be superfluous. But it is not at all. He had been teaching them without opening His mouth. How? With His life and miracles. And now opening His mouth, He teaches. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.1-2

The Filled And The Hungry

Vae vobis, qui saturati estis, quia esurietis Saturatus erat dives ille purpuratus, quando epulabatur quotidie splendide, sed dirum vae sustinebat esuriens, quando de Lazari, quem despexerat, digito guttam aquae quaerebat. Aliter. Si beati sunt illi qui justitiae semper esuriunt opera, infelices e contrario sunt aestimandi qui sibi in desideriis placentes, nullam veri et inconcussi boni famem patiuntur, satis se rati beatos, si non ad tempus sua voluptate priventur. Sanctus Beda,In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber II Source: Migne PL 92.404a

Woe to you who are filled, for you shall hunger... 1 That rich man in purple was filled when he feasted splendidly every day, but alas he suffered wretched lack when he sought a drop of water from the finger of Lazarus whom he had scorned. 2 Otherwise, if they are blessed who thirst for the works of righteousness, 3 then on the contrary they are judged to be wretched who pleasing themselves in their desires suffer no hunger at all for the true and unshakeable good, for they reckon themselves blessed if they are not deprived of pleasure in their times. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 2 1 Lk 6.25 2 Lk 16.19-31 3 Mt 5.6

The First And Eighth Beatitude

Octava nihil est, nisi prima repetita. Unde et eamdem remunerationem habet cum prima. Sed agamus nunc de remunerationibus. Pauperibus promittitur regnum coelorum, quia majus non potest haberi quam illud, quod est commune et generale praemium. Sed quum in octava eadem retributio repetatur, differre tamen intelligendum est. Sic enim intelligitur: Beati pauperes spiritu, quoniam ipsorum est regnum coelorum. Qui abdicant terrena, eorum est jam regnum coelorum in spe, et si in purgatorio igne quidam horum ad horam purgantur, tamen non ambigunt se recepturos regnum coelorum. Qui autem patiuntur persecutionem, habent regnum coelorum, non tantum in spe, sed etiam in re. Qui enim moriuntur pro Christo, statim ascendunt in coelum. Hoc ideo ita legitur, non quod utrique non recipiant in re regnum coelorum, sed ut designetur quanta differentia est inter illum, quia habet in spe, et illum qui habet in re, tanta differentia est retributionis illius qui non patitur, et illius qui patitur. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput V Source: Migne PL 162.1289a-b

The eighth beatitude 1 is nothing but a repetition of the first, whence it has the same reward as the first. But let us now look into the rewards. The kingdom of heaven is promised to the poor, because it is not possible to have anything greater than it, which is the common and general reward. But the same reward repeated in the eighth beatitude must be understood to differ. For with 'Blessed are the poor of spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' is understood those who forsake worldly things, and theirs is the kingdom of heaven in hope, and even if they must be purified in the fire of purgatory for a time, they do not doubt they shall be received into the kingdom of heaven. But those who suffer persecution, they have the kingdom of heaven in that, and not only in hope, for those who die for Christ instantly ascend to heaven. It should be read, then, in this way: that it is not that both receive the kingdom of heaven immediately truth, but there is much difference between the one who possesses in hope, and the one who possesses in truth, so great is the difference between the reward of the one who does not suffer, and the one who does. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.10

Mourning And Comfort

Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι πενθοῦντες, οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τινι τῶν βιωτικῶν· πενθοῦντες δὲ εἴπε, τουτέστιν, ἀεὶ καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ· καὶ οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ πλησίον. Παρακληθήσονται δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα· ὁ γὰρ πενθῶν δι' ἁμαρτίαν, χαίρει πνευματικῶς· καὶ ἐκεῖ δὲ πολλῳ μᾶλλον. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον, Κεφαλὴ E' Source: Migne PG 123.188b

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 1 They who mourn sins, not temporal things. And He speaks of mourning here as something that is being done continually and not just once, and that this is not only for our own sins but even for the sins of our neighbours. And 'they shall be comforted' even here, for he who mourns on account of sin, he rejoices spiritually, and there shall much more. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.5

Hunger And Satisfaction

Beati qui esuritis, quia saturabimini... Quid esurire beati, qui sitire debeant, Matthaeus exponit, videlicet, iustitiam, apertissime nos instituens, nunquam nos satis iustos aestimare debere, sed quotidianum iustitiae semper amare, imo ardere profectum. Cuius perfectam saturitatem, non in hoc saeculo, sed in futuro posse provenire, supernorum desiderio Psalmista flagrans, ostendit, qui ait: Ego autem cum iustitia apparebo in conspectu tuo, satiabor dum manifestabitur gloria tua. Potest et simpliciter accipi: Beati qui nunc esuritis, qui castigatis corpus vestrum, et servituti subiicitis, qui in fame et siti verbo operam datis, quia coelestium tunc gaudiorum habebitis ubertate perfrui. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber II, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 92.401c-d

Blessed are you who hunger because you will be filled... 1 What the blessed hunger for, what they should thirst for, Matthew explains, that is, righteousness, 2 most openly teaching us that we should never be satisfied in judging ourselves righteous, but every day we should always be desiring righteousness and yearning to improve. For its consummate satisfaction is not possible in this world but it is to come in the future, which the Psalmist, burning with the desire for heavenly things, shows, saying, 'But in righteousness I shall appear in your sight, and I shall be satisfied when you reveal your glory.' 3 It is also possible to understand this simply, so that 'Blessed are you who now hunger,' are you who discipline the body and reduce it to servitude, and who amid hunger and thirst give yourself to the work of the Word, 4 because yours shall be the enjoyment of an abundance of heavenly joys. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 2, Chapter 6 1 Lk 6.21 2 Mt 5.6 3 Ps 16.15 4 1 Cor 9.27, 2 Cor 11.27

First Humility

Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἰωάννης τῆς Θηβαῗδος· Ὀφείλει ὁ μοναχὸς πρὸ πάντων τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην κατορθῶσαι. Αὕτη γὰρ ἐστιν ἡ πρώτη ἐμτολὴ τοῦ Σωτῆρος, λέγοντος· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀποφθέγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλάδιος Γαλατίας Source: Migne PG 65.233d

Father John of the Thebaid said, 'Before everything a monk should improve himself with humility. For this is the first commandment of the Lord, He who said: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' 1 Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia 1 Mt 5.3

Four Types Of Tears

Beati qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Notandum autem quod quattor modis fit planctus sanctorum, cum priora peccata deplorant cum in infernum cadentes plangunt, cum in peccatis viventes, cum pro desiderio regni coelestis admodum tristes fiunt, et quatuor species lacrymarum natura continet. Sunt quidem lacrymae humidae, ut abluant sordes peccatorum, et restituant perditum baptismum; sunt salsae et amarae, ut restringant carnis fluxum, et terent dulcedinem voluptatum; sunt calidae, ut praevaleant contra infidelitatis frigus. Sunt purae, ut a pristinis erroribus mundatos, in pura constituant conversatione. Hae ergo pro amissis charis saepius fiunt, ut nos admoneant quatenus amissa bona opera reparemus, et ad desertam a nobis propter praevaricationem paradisi patriam per mandatorum Dei custodiam redeamus. Semper enim luctus inter duas laetitias consistit, id est, inter mundi praecedentem, et coelestis regni appropinquantem, et beatus cui temporalis tristitia aeternam parturiet laetitiam. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber II, Cap V Source: Migne PL 107.796a-b

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 1 It should be noted that there are four ways of weeping for those who are holy, first when they deplore sins once committed, then when they weep over the descent to hell, then when there is living in sin, and then when they are made tearful because of longing for the kingdom of heaven. And these four types of tears are found in nature. There are tears of water, so that the filth of sins may be washed away and the ruin of baptism restored. There are salty and bitter tears that restrain the urges of the body and wear away the sweetness of pleasures, There are warm tears that prevail against the frigidity of faithlessness. And there are pure ones that cleanse from old errors and establish one in a wholesome way of living. And all these most frequently come from a lack of love and admonish us to look to the repair of a lack of good deeds, that from the waste made by us because of sin we may return to the fatherland of paradise by the keeping of the commandments of God. For grief is always found between two joys, between the preceding things of the world and the approaching things of the kingdom of heaven, and blessed is he who in temporal sorrow gives birth to eternal joy. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 2, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.5

Blessedness Perfected

Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam.... Sed quid facimus de eo, quod non ait, quaerunt, sed esurient justitiam, nisi ut intelligamus id esse justitiam animae, quod cibum et potum carni? Ipsa viaticum in itinere, juxta quod ex parte est: ipsa coena in patria, ubi perfecta est, ipsa lac parvulis, ipsa esca viris. Unde illa Prophetae exsecratio: Sicut ablactatus super matre sua, ita retribues in animam meam. Beati ergo qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam, quoniam ipsi saturabuntur. Tunc plena beatitas, qunado plena satietas; tunc plena plene satiabor, qui nunc in parte ex parte fruor. Nunc ad medicinam, tunc ad delectationem: nunc ad disciplinam, quae in praesenti videtur habere aliquid difficultatis moeroris, tunc ad gloriam, quando exercitatis per eam pacatissimum feret fructum of ipsius justitiae; ut hic quasi quidam flos justitiae sive omnis virtutis appareat, ibi plenitudo fructus carpatur. Sic sic ab inchoatione per profectum ad perfectum justitiae dirigendi sunt, qui in virtute beatitudinem quaerunt: cujus inchoatio quidem continet, nemini injuriam facere, profectus illatam patienter ferre, perfectio omnibus benefacere, si potest, si minus, velle. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo III, In Festo Omnium Sanctorum Source: Migne PL 194.1698d-1699a

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... 1 But what are we to make of this, that He does not say 'seek' but 'hunger' for righteousness, unless we understand that righteousness to the soul is as food and drink to the flesh? This is the food supplied on the way, according to which it is but partial, and then this is the feast in the fatherland, where it is perfected. This is milk for the babe, and then this is solid food for the man. 2 Whence the outburst of the Prophet, 'Like a weaned boy over his mother, thus you shall return it to my soul.' 3 Blessed, therefore, are those who hunger and thirst, for they shall be satisfied. Then blessedness is complete when there is full satisfaction. Then indeed I shall be fully satisfied with what I now enjoy in part. Now is the medicine, then the joy. Now is discipline, which in the present can seem so difficult and grievous, then the glory, when by exertion in discipline it bears the most peaceful fruit of righteousness. 4 Thus as there may appear here a certain bloom of righteousness, or of any virtue, so there the fullness of the fruit shall be plucked. Thus they who seek blessedness in virtue are directed from the beginning on through improvement to the perfection of righteousness, which beginning certainly consists of doing no harm to anyone, and whose advance is that we should suffer injury patiently, and whose perfection is the wish to do good to everyone, insofar as it is possible, even if little. Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 3 On The Feast Of All Saints 1 Mt 5.6 2 1 Cor 3.1-2 3 Ps 130.2 4 Heb 12.11

Blessings And Heaven

Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt. Sex sunt opera misericordia, sicut diximus, quae hominem purificant et emundant. Nonne haec opera sex hydriae in Galilaea positae ad purificationem Judaeorum? Aquae mundat, eleemosyna mundat. Fide, inquit, mundanus corda eorum. Beati autem mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt. Nonne vita aeterna est videre te Deum, et quem misisti Jesum Christum? Beati, Domine, qui te viderunt et in te credidetunt, spe non re. Nam et mundi corde hodie te vident, nec tamen beati sunt, vident sed per speculum, et in aenigmate, et quasi sub nube. Erit tempus quando videbunt te facie ad faciem in splendoribus sanctorum, gloria et honore coronatum, non in diademate majestatis tuae, sed quasi unigentium a Patre plenum gratiae et majestatis. Tunc exsultabimus et gaudebit cor nostrum; tunc erit Sabbatum de Sabbato; tunc erit in ore hominum canticum novum, et vox quasi laetentium omnium. Ibi sicut Christus splendor et figura substantiae Dei, sic apparebit in figura Dei et gloria majestatis. O custos hominum et redemptor noster, ad te levavi oculos meos, oculos scilicet cordis mei. Sicut enim oculi servorum in manibus dominorum suorum, ita oculi nostri ad te, Domine, donec miserearis nostri. Verutamen turbatus est a furore oculis meis; dereliquit me virtus mea, et lumen oculorum meorum, et ipsum non est mecum. Non possum videre faciem tuam nisi oculo mundi cordis. In immunditiis concepit me mater mea; et: Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine? Nonne tu qui solus es? Cor mundum crea in me, Deus, Deus cordis mei, et pars mea Deus in aeternum. Tibi dixit cor meum; exquisivit te facies mea, faciem tuam, Domine, requiram. Quid enim mihi est in caelo, et a te quid volui super terram? Dominus illuminatio mea, et salus mea, quem timebo? Illumina oculos meas ne unquam obdormiam in morte: nequando dicat inimicus meus: Praevalui adversus eum. Tu es funiculus haerditatis meae, portio mea in terra viventium. In terra, quae promittitur mitibus; in terra consolationis, quae lugentibus offertur, in regno coelorum, quid patientibus et pauperibus datur; in haereditate sanctorum, et pace filiorum Dei; in pace Dei, quae exsuperat omnem sensum, quae filios Dei consortes beatiudinis facit. Beati, enim pacifici quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XLVII, In Festo Omnium Sanctorum Source: Migne PL 207.700d-701c

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. 1 There are six works of mercy, as we have said, which purify and cleanse a man. Were there not six jugs placed in Galilee for the purification of the Jews? 2 Water cleanses, alms cleanse. With faith, it is said, their hearts were clean. 3 And blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Is it not that eternal life is the seeing of you, God, and Him whom you sent, Jesus Christ? Blessed, O Lord, are those who have seen you and believed in you, not the mere hope of it. For even the pure of heart see you today, yet they are not blessed, but they see through a mirror, in a mystery, 4 and as beneath a cloud. There shall come a time when they shall see you face to face in the splendour of your holy ones, crowned with glory and honour, 5 though your majesty is not in a diadem, but as the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and majesty. Then our hearts shall exult and rejoice, 6 then shall be the Sabbath of Sabbaths, then there shall be a new song in the mouths of men, 7 and the sound shall be as a multitude rejoicing. There as Christ is the splendour and figure of the substance of God, so He shall appear in the figure of God and the glory of majesty. O guardian of men and our Redeemer, to you I lift up my eyes, certainly the eyes of my heart. For as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, so are our eyes turned to you, O Lord, until you are merciful to us. Truly my eyes were troubled with fury, my strength deserted me, and the light of my eyes was not with me. 8 I am not able to see your face, unless I have a pure heart. In uncleanliness my mother conceived me, and who is able to make me clean from the uncleanliness of the seed of my conception? Is it not you alone? Create a pure heart in me, O God, God of my heart, and my portion in eternity, O God. My heart has said to you, 'My face seeks you, your face, O Lord, I need. What is there for me in heaven, and what from you shall I wish on the earth? O Lord, my illumination and my salvation, whom shall I fear? Illuminate my eyes lest I ever sleep in death, lest my enemy ever say: 'I have prevailed over him.' 9 You are the portion of my inheritance, my gateway into the land of the living. 10 Into that land which is promised to the meek, into the land of consolation which is offered to those who weep, into the kingdom of heaven that is given to the patient and the poor, into the inheritance of the saints, and into the peace of the sons of God, into the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, which makes the sons of God associates of the blessing. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 11 Peter of Blois, from Sermon 47, On The Feast of All Saints 1 Mt 5.8 2 Jn 2.6 3 Acts 15.9 4 1 Cor 13.12 5 Ps 109.3, Ps 8.6 6 Prov 23.16 7 Ps 39.4 8 Ps 122.1,2 -3, Ps 6.8, Ps 37.11 9 Ps 50.7, Job 14.4, Ps 50.12, Ps 72.26, Ps 26.8, Ps 72.25, Ps 26.1, Ps 12.4-5 10 Ps 104.11, Ps 141.6 11 Mt 5.3-9, Phil 4.7

Tribulation And Rest

Et unus de senioribus dixit mihi: Hi qui amicti sunt stolis albis, qui sunt? Ad hoc interrogat, ut doceat. Et dixit mihi: Hi sunt qui venerunt ex magna tribulatione. Per multas tribulationes oportet nos introire in regnum Dei.'Quis autem nesciat tribulationem Antichristi caeteris futuram esse majorem? Et laverunt stolas suas in sanguine Agni. Non de solis martyribus dicit. Illi enim sanguine proprio lavantur. Ecclesiam autem totam sanguis Jesu Filii Dei mundat ab omni delicto, ideo sunt ante thronum Dei. Illi enim digni habentur illic in Dei consistere ministerio, qui hic inter adversa fideles nominis ejus confessores existunt. Et serviunt ei die ac nocte in templo ejus. More nostro loquens, aeternitatem significat. Et qui sedet in throno habitabit super illos. Thronus Dei, sancti sunt, super quos et in quibus in saecula habitat Deus. Non esurient neque sitient amplius. Hoc est quod Dominus ipse promisit: 'Ego sum,' inquiens, 'panis vitae: qui venit ad me, non esuriet, et qui credit in me, non sitiet unquam'. 'Beati enim qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam, quoniam ipsi saturabuntur.' Neque cadet super illos sol, neque ullus aestus. Transivimus, inquit, per ignem et aquam, et induxisti nos in refrigerium. Quoniam Agnus, qui in medio throni est, reget illos. Agnum in medio dicit esse throni, qui superius Agnum a sedente in throno librum dixerat accepisse, docens Ecclesiam unum esse Patri et Filio thronum, in qua per fidem inhabitat unus, tota Trinitas, Deus. Et deducet eos ad vitae fontes aquarum. Ad consortium utique sanctorum, qui fontes sunt doctrinae coelestis. Potest et ipsa Dei visio significari, in quo sunt thesauri sapientiae et scientiae absconditi. Juxta quod David ait: 'Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima mea ad te Deus.' Et absterget Deus omnem lacrymam ab oculis eorum. Immortalium adepta plenitudine gaudiorum, omnis moeror penitus oblivioni mandabitur. Beati enim qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Potest autem visio hujus turbae stolatae de praesenti etiam tempore intelligi, ubi spe salvi facti sumus, et quod non videmus sperantes, per patientiam exspectamus. Sanctus Beda, Explanatio Apocalyspsis, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 93.153b-154b

And one of the elders said to me, 'Who are these who are clothed in white robes?' 1 He asked that he might teach. And he said to me: 'These have come through great tribulation' Through many tribulations we shall enter into the kingdom of God. 2 And who does not know that the tribulation of the Antichrist in the future shall be great? And they washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb. This is not said of the martyrs alone. It is right that they wash in the blood, but also the whole Church is cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus the Son of God, and so they too are before the throne of God, and they indeed are worthy to enter into the service of God who here in adversity have stood as faithful confessors of His name. And they serve him day and night in His temple. In our manner of speaking this signifies eternity. And He who sits on the throne shall dwell over them. The throne of God are the saints, over whom and in whom God dwells through the ages. They will not hunger or thirst anymore. This is what the Lord promised. 'I am,' He said, 'the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall not thirst.' And, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.' 3 Nor shall the sun strike them, nor any heat. 'We passed,' it says, 'through fire and water, and you led us into rest.' 4 Because the lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall rule them. The lamb is said to be in the midst of the throne, and before this it was said that the lamb took the book from one seated on the throne, 5 which teaches that the Church is the one throne of the Father and the Son, in which through faith they dwell as one, the whole Trinity, God. And he shall lead them to springs of flowing water. To the gathering of the saints who are the springs of heavenly teaching. The same image can also signify God, in whom the treasuries of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Whence David says, 'Like the hart that desires springs of water, so my soul desires you, O God.' 6 And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. On receiving the fullness of immortal joy all sorrow shall be consigned to oblivion. 'Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be comforted.' 7 This scene can also signify the troubles of the present time when we hope for salvation, and not seeing that for which we hope, we wait patiently. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Apocalypse, Chapter 7 1 Apoc 7.14 2 Acts 14.21 3 Jn 6.35, Mt 5.6 4 Ps 65.12 5 Apoc 5.6-7 6 Ps 41.2 7 Mt 5.5

The Poor In Spirit

Nescio, fratres, si plane intelligitis quid sit pauperem esse spiritu. Apud multos hoc verbum quandoque scrupulum dubitionis induxit. Quidam abundant et in sensu et in spiritu, sicut filii hujus saeculi qui prudentiores sunt filiis lucis in generatione sua. Istos siquidem nec pauperes, nec divites spiritu censere praesumo. Quis ergo erit pauper spiritu? Nunquid ille qui turbatur et concutitur a pusillanimitate spiritus et tempestate? Certe nec istum pauperem spiritu dignum est profiteri. Curramus ad Apostolum. Vir enim circumspectus et multorum expertus est. Non accepimus, dicit Apostolus, spiritum hujus mundi, sed spiritum qui ex Deo est. Est autem spiritus hujus mundi, spiritus qui inflat, spiritus superbiae, de quo idem Apostolus dicit: Ambulastis, inquit, secundum principem potestatis aeris hujus, spiritum qui nunc operatur in filiis diffidentiae. Credo si quis deficeret ab hoc spiritu, pauper esset spiritu. Sed non sufficeret hoc, nisi Spiritus Dei redderet testimonium spiritui ejus. Procedamus ergo ulterius si forte possimus intelligere quid sit esse pauperem spiritu. Credo quia pauper spiritu est, qui deficiens a se ipso, et se totum pro Christo abnegns, nihil habet in cogitatione aut memoria, nihil in delectatione, aut desiderio nisi Christum. Iste potest dicere: Memore fui Dei et delectaus sum, et deficit spiritus meus. Hanc sui abdicationem, hanc paupertatem, et hunc defectum spiritus videbatur habere qui dicebat: Velociter exaudi me, Domine, quia defecit spiritus meus. Et illud: In deficiendo ex me spiritum meum, et tu cognovisti semitas meas. Qui ergo mundo renuntians et se ipsum abdicans sub potenti manu Dei, et sub observantia ordinis se humiliat: hic est pauper et humilis spiritu. De talibus dictum est: Juxta est Dominus his qui tribulato sunt corde, et humiles spiritu salvabit. Isti Spiritu Dei aguntur non alta sapientes, sed humilibus consentientes. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XLII, In Festo Omnium Sanctorum Source: Migne PL 207.690a-c

I do not know, brothers, if you fully understand what it means to be poor in spirit. 1 Among many this phrase has introduced a scruple of doubt. But indeed they abound in sense and spirit, as 'the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of light in their generation.' 2 I do not presume to reckon the former poor, nor rich in spirit. Who, then, shall be the one who is poor in spirit? Is it the one who amid a storm is troubled and shaken by a weakness of spirit? Certainly it does not befit that this one is worthy of being poor of spirit. Let us hurry to the Apostle, for he is a wise man and experienced in many things. 'We have not received,' the Apostle says, 'the spirit of this world, but the spirit which is from God.' 3 There is indeed a spirit of the world, a spirit which puffs up, a spirit of pride, concerning which the same Apostle says, 'You have walked according to the the prince of power of this air, a spirit which now works in the sons of rebellion.' 4 I think that if someone is lacking in this spirit that he is poor in spirit. But this will not be enough unless the Spirit of God produces evidence of its own spirit. Let us go further, then, if perhaps it is possible that we might understand what it is to be poor in spirit. I think that the one who is poor in spirit is he who is lacking in himself, and denies himself utterly for Christ, having nothing in his thoughts or memory, nothing in pleasure or desire, but Christ. He can say: 'I was mindful of God and I delighted, and my spirit failed.' 5 This is one who seems to have renounced himself, and been poor, and to lack in spirit, he who said, 'Be swift to hear me, O Lord, because my spirit goes from me.' 6 And again: 'In the going forth of my spirit from me, and you knew my ways.' 7 He, then, who renounces the world and himself under the powerful hand of God, and beneath the observance of His commandments humbles himself, this is the one who is poor and humble in spirit. Concerning such things it is said, 'The Lord is beside those who are troubled in heart, and He saves the humble of spirit.' 8 They who live with the spirit of God do not think of high things, but give their minds to humble things. 9 Peter of Blois, from Sermon 42, On The Feast of All Saints 1 Mt 5.8 2 Lk 16.8 3 1 Cor 2.12 4 Ephes 2.2 5 Ps 76.4 6 Ps 142.7 7 Ps 141.4 8 Ps 33.9 9 Rom 12.16

The Earth Of The Meek

Beati mites, quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram Hieronymus: Non terram Judaeae, nec terram istius mundi, nec terra maledictam spinas et tribulos afferentem, quam crudelissimus quisque et bellator magis possidet, sed terram quam Psalmista desiderat, dicens: Credo videre bona Domini in terra viventium. Hujuscemodi possessor, et post victorim triumphator etiam in quadragesimo quarto psalmo describitur: Et intente, prospere procede, et regna propter veritatem, et mansuetudinem, et justitiam. Nemo enim terram istam per mansuetudinem, sed per superbiam possidet. Augustinus: Significat enim quamdam soliditatem et stabilitatem haereditatis perpetuae, ubi anima per bonum affectum, tanquam loco suo requiescit, sicut corpus in terra; et inde cibo suo alitur, sicut corpus ex terra: ipsa est requies et vita sanctorum. Mites autem sunt qui cedunt improbitatibus, et non resistunt malo, sed vincunt in bono malum. Rixentur ergo immites, et dimicent pro terrenis et temporalibus rebus: Beati autem mites quoniam ipsi haereditate possidebunt terram, de qua evelli non possint.  Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber II, Cap V Source: Migne PL 107.795b-d

Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. 1 Jerome: 2 This is not the earth of Judea, not the earth of this world, not the cursed earth that bears thorns and thistles, 3 which the most cruel warmonger delights to possess, but the land which the Psalmist desires, saying, 'I believe I will see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.' 4 This possessor triumphant after victory is described in the fourty fourth Psalm: 'And look, and go forth prosperously and reign on account of truth and meekness and righteousness.' 5 For none possess this earth because of meekness but because of pride. Augustine: 6 This signifies a certain firmness and stability of the perpetual inheritance, where the soul though its good disposition rests as in its own place, just as the body rests on the earth, and it is nourished from there with its own food, as the body is from the earth. This is the rest and life of the saints. But the meek are those here who give way to wickedness and do not resist the evil man, 7 but overcome evil with good. 8 Let those, then, who are not meek dispute and fight for earthly and temporal things, but 'blessed are the meek,' for by inheritance they shall possess the earth, from which they will not be able to be uprooted. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 5 1 Mt 5.4 2 Jerome Com Mat, chap 5 3 Gen 3.18 4 Ps 26.13 5 Ps 44.5 6 Augustine, Our Lord’s Sermon On the Mount 2 7 Mt 5.39 8 Rom 12.21

Mercy And Justice

Beati misericordes, quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur... Quia per solam justitiam nullus ad alta ascendere potest, nisi iter faciat nobis Deus, plus quam justum sit, per misericordiam suam; ideo misericordia Dei acquirenda est, quae suppleat quod nostra justitia non potest adipisci. Quomodo autem illa acquiri possit, dat consilium cum dicit: Estote misericordes, quia pater vester misericors est. Ecce via qua ad misericordiam Dei pervenitur, si misericordes efficimur. Oportet ergo misericordiam addere justitiae, ut non solum faciamus proximo quod justum est, sed etiam plus quam justum. Misericordiam habet duas partes, dare et dimittere. Unde dicitur: Date et dabitur vobis, dimittite et dimittetur vobis. Hae duae virtutes ita conjunctae sunt, ut altera ab altera contemperari debeat. Justitia sine misericordia crudelitas est; misericordia sine justitia dissolutio est. Rebelles corrigere ex justitia; poenitentibus condonare debemus ex misericordia. Sed quia alii plus quam alii exercentur in justitia quam in misericordia; alii plus in misericordia, quam in justitia: ideo isti dicuntur beati propter misericordiam, illi propter justitiam, cum tamen non dissocientur. Haec misericordia postulatur, cum dicitur: Fiat voluntas tua in nobis, scilicet ut misericordes simus, ut aliis condonemus. Nam haec est voluntas Dei, haec descendit ex spiritu consilii. Hoc enim est consilium, quod nobis datur, si misericordiam Dei adipisci volumus, misericordiam aliis faciamus. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput V Source: Migne PL 162.1287b-d

Blessed are the merciful because they shall receive mercy... 1 Because no one is able to rise up to the heights by justice alone, unless God makes a way for us with more than what is just, through His mercy. Therefore the mercy of God must be acquired, which supplements what our justice is not able to obtain. And He gives counsel about how one can acquire it when He says: 'Be merciful, as your Father in heaven is merciful.' 2 Behold the way by which we come to the mercy of God, if we are merciful. One must, then, add mercy to justice, that not only do we act justily to our neighbour, but we are even more than just. Mercy has two parts, to give and to forgive. Whence it is said: 'Give and it shall be given to you. Forgive and you shall be forgiven.' 3 So it is that these two virtues are joined, even that the one by the other should be moderated. Justice without mercy becomes cruelty, mercy without justice is laxity. The rebellious are corrected by justice, by mercy we should forgive the penitent. But because some more than others exert themselves in justice more than mercy, and others in mercy more than justice, therefore the latter are blessed on account of mercy, the former on account of justice, when however they should not be separated. This mercy is requested, when it is said, 'May your will be in us,' 4 that is, so that we may be merciful, so that we may forgive others. For this is the will of God, this comes down from spiritual counsel. And this is the counsel which is given to us, that if we wish to obtain mercy, we should be merciful to others. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.7 2 Lk 6.36 3 Lk 6.37-38 4 cf Mt 6.10

The Gates

Ἀνοίξατε μοι πύλας διακαιοσύνης εἰσελθών ἐν αὐταῖς ἐξομολογήσομαι τῷ Κυρίῳ· αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ Κυρίου, δίκαιοι εἰσελεύσονατι ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἐξομολογήσομαι σοι, ὅτι ἐπήκουσάς μου, καὶ ἐγένου μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν γενικὸν ὀνομα πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ προγράγεται, κατ' εἶδιος δὲ λοιπὸν διαιρῶν, τις εἴποι ἀναλόγως τὸ Ἀνοίξατε μοι πύλας διακαιοσύνης, καὶ πύλας φρονὴσεως, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν πράξων. Ἐπειδὰν διὰ πασῶν παρέλθῃ τῶν πυλῶν, λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος τῶν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐνδοτάτω ἁγίων ἐλθὼν, οὐκέτι πολλὰς, ἀλλὰ μίαν ὄψεται πύλαην τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου, δι' ἧς πάντες εἰσελεύσονται οἱ δίκαιοι. Εἴποι δ' ἂν τις ταύτην τὴν ὑστάτην καὶ τελευταίαν, ἧς ἐπέκεινα οὐκέτι οἶόν τε εἶναι προσελθεῖν. Ὑστάτη δὲ πύλη τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ θεωρία ἂν εἴη αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΡΙΖ´ Source: Migne PG 23.1362d-1363a

Open to me the gates of righteousness, going through them I shall confess to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall go in through it. I shall confess to you, that you heard me, and are made my salvation. 1 In general, then, the name of righteousness is written for all the virtues, so that when they are separated into their parts, someone may rightly say that 'Open to me the gates of righteousness,' is the gates of prudence and the rest of the other works according to God. After he has passed through all these gates, coming into the innermost place of the holy, someone may say, 'I see now not many, but the one gate of the Lord, through which all the righteous shall enter.' But someone might say, 'This is the last and final gate beyond which one might not go. The last gate of the Lord is the contemplation of Him,' according to which, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' 2 Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 117 1 Ps 117.19-21 2 Mt 5.8

The Poor In Spirit

Beati pauperes spiritu... Quamvis ipsas beatitudines exponat ex parte et evangelista Lucas, tamen istae beatitudines perfectiores illis intelligendae sunt: quoniam illae in loco campestri dictae sunt, istae autem perfectis super montem. Illae mediocribus, istae autem perfectis, et rectoribus populorum, sicut fuerent apostoli, ad quos dicate sunt haec: cujus differentiae rationem largius exposuimus ibi Ideo illic simpliciter pauperes dixit: hic autem pauperes spiritu. Pauper spiritu est humilis corde: id est, pauperem spiritum habens, qui non magna sapit de se. Sicut ex diverso dives spiritu intelligitur magna de se sapiens, et superbus, qui non implet mandatum Christi dicentis: Nisi conversi facti fueritis sicut puer iste, non intrabitis in regnum caelorum. Qui enim jam conversus factus est sicut puer, ille est et pauper spiritu. Et qui pauper est spiritu, ille conversus factus est sicut puer. Et secundum testimonium quidem Christi, et Apostoloi, Plenitudo legis dilectio est; tamen nutrix dilectionis humilitas est, et totius mali odii mater superbia. Ergo totius boni initium humilitas est, et totius mali superbia. Denique et perditionis initium a superbia coepit per diabolum, initiumque salutis ab humilitate per Christum, propterea convenienter et omnium beatitudinum humilitatem fecit initium. Et quare non manifeste dixit, Beati humiles spiritu? Ego hunc potui tantumodo rationis invenire colorem, ut non solum humiles ostendat, sed etiam indigentes humiles, qui sic sunt humiles, ut semper adjutorium Dei sent mendicantes. Unde in Graeco non dicit, Beati pauperes, sed, Beati egeni, vel Beati mendici. Nam pauper est, qui angustiam quidem habet, non autem tantam, ut mendicare cogatur. Secundum quam differentiam et propheta dicit: Beatus qui intelligit super mendicum et pauperem. Ergo ideo dicit, Beati mendici spiritu, ut in ultima necessitate humiles ostendat. Si ergo dixisset, Beati humiles spiritu, nihil amplius significasset, quam humiles, nunc autem et humiles, et secundum fidem humiles, et intelligentes unde sit adjutorium hominis. Sunt enim multi naturaliter humiles spiritu, et non ex fide. Hi tales non pulsant adjutorium Dei. Qui autem secundum fidem humiles sunt, et intelligentes, dum nimis timent de se, adjutorium Dei pulsare non cessant. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia IX Source: Migne PG 56.680

Blessed are the poor in spirit... 1 Although the Evangelist Luke expounds these beatitudes, these ones here should be understood as being more perfect than them, because those were spoken on the plain and these to the perfect on the mount. 2 Those were for the middling, these for the perfect, even to the leaders of the people, as the Apostles were, to whom these were spoken, the reason for which difference we have explained more broadly there. Therefore in Luke He says simply 'the poor' 3 but here it is 'the poor in spirit.' The one who is poor in spirit is humble in heart, that is, he who has a poor spirit is who does not think great things about himself. So in contrast the rich in spirit thinks great things of himself, and is proud, and is one who does not fulfill the commandment of Christ, which says: 'Unless you turn and become like this child, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' 4 For he who turns and becomes as a child, he is poor in spirit. And he who is poor is spirit, he has become like a child. And according to the testimony of Christ and of the Apostle, 'The fulness of the Law is love.' 5 The nurse of love is humility, and the mother of all hateful evil is pride. Therefore the beginning of all good is humility, and the beginning of all evil is pride. Finally the beginning of ruin came by pride through the devil, and the beginning of salvation by humility through Christ, on account of which it is fitting that humility is the beginning of all the beatitudes. But why did He not openly say: 'Blessed are the humble in spirit?' This is the only reason I have been able to find for it, that not only does He show them humble, but even needy in their humility, who as they are humble are always begging for the help of God. Whence in the Greek it does not say, 'Blessed are the poor' but 'Blessed are the needy,' or 'Blessed are the beggars.' For a poor man is he who suffers distress, but not so great that he is forced to beg. According to which difference the prophet says: 'Blessed are those who think on the beggar and the poor man.' 6 Therefore He says, 'Blessed are the beggars in spirit,' so that in the last necessity He shows the humble. If, then, He had said: 'Blessed are the humble in spirit,' he would not have signified anything more than the humble, but now even the humble and the humble according to faith, who have understanding from where comes help to men. For there are many who are naturally humble in spirit, but not from faith. Such ones do not knock for the help of God. But those who are humble according to faith, and understand, while they have great fear for themselves, they do not cease to knock for the help of God. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 9 1 Mt 5.3 2 Lk 6.17 3 Lk 6.20 4 Mt 18.3 5 Rom 13.10 6 Ps 40.2