The Beatitudes

Hello Everyone!

The choice assignment this week covers Matthew 5:1-12 or what most people know to be The Beatitudes!

The Beatitudes are:

1.     Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2.     Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

3.     Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

4.     Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

5.     Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

6.     Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

7.     Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

8.     Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does blessed or blessedness mean?

Beatitude means to be fortunate, happy, or blessed and blessedness means being higher than happiness. In other words, blessedness means that you feel extreme happiness as well as feeling extremely fortunate.

There is a quote from the Insitute manual that I really like and believe defines blessedness quite well.

“Happiness comes from without and is dependent on circumstances; Blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect.”

In The Beatitudes the “blessed” attributes are:

1.     They that are poor in spirit

2.     They that mourn

3.     They that are meek

4.     They that hunger and thirst after righteousness

5.     They that are merciful

6.     They that are pure in heart

7.     They that are peacemakers

8.     They that are persecuted for righteousness’’ sake

The three Beatitudes that stand out to me most in how living it will increase your happiness are they that are pure in heart, they that mourn, and they that are persecuted.

They that are pure in Heart

How can living this trait bring you happiness?

Those that will see God are those that are pure in heart. President Harold B. Lee said,

“There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could perceive it was a man and as it came still closer he saw it was his friend. You can see only that which you have eyes to see.. Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as the son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a wine-bibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are the pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of his goodness you see in him”

Those that have a pure heart will be given happiness because they are not “filthy” and they lived their lives in a manner that brought them closer to God and the ability to see God or the God or good in man. Being able to see the good in others is a really great trait for someone to have because it not only brings others happiness because you don’t judge them but it also brings yourself happiness because you see the good in the world and it brings you joy.

They that mourn

How can mourning bring happiness into your life?

It may seem like something that is a contradiction because you can’t gain happiness when you mourn, right? Not necessarily! Mourning for the loss of loved ones and mourning for the sins you have committed in the process of repentance are two things that you could imagine as the mourning that this Beatitude is talking about. Mourning for the loss of loved ones isn’t what this one is about but rather feeling godly sorrow for sins committed. Christ is teaching us that when we trurly mourn for the sins we have committed and seek forgiveness of them He will comfort us and forgive us that we will no longer feel the pain or weight the sin had on us. This last week I was teaching the primary lesson for my best friends mom and what I taught about was the story of Alma the Younger’s experience when he repented for the wrongs he had committed. One of the little girls when asked what one of the things we need to do to repent said that, “We need to feel sorry and apologize just like when we hurt a friend and tell them we are sorry but we have to mean it!” When we mourn we gain happiness because we are showing the Lord that we are humble enough to see the wrong we have done and to truly feel sorry about it and turn to God and ask him to forgive what you have done. In the lesson I had a backpack full of heavy things labeled with sins, that the kids picked up with all the burdens as well as once all the sins were removed. It was to show that when we repent, Christ takes all of our burdens off our back and we no longer feel the weight on our shoulders.

They that are persecuted

How can you be happy when you are being persecuted?

Each day we may be teased or harassed about the things we believe or the standards we have set for ourselves or we are judged by how we look on the outside. President Harold B. Lee tells us that, “If you stand firmly for the right despite the jeers of the crowd or even physical violence, you shall be crowned with the blessedness of eternal joy.” That is a great promise and one that will not be easy to obtain but it will be worth the joy after all the persecution is over! In the last two verses of this section it says,  

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

President Lee shared a story that really explains what the Beatitudes are about.

It was late one night when I was abruptly awakened out of my sleep by a telephone call. On the other end of the line was a voice of a distraught ward member. He indicated that there had been some problems in the home and wondered if I could come over.

When I walked into Richard and Jennifer’s home, the atmosphere was charged with tension. Richard spoke first. He was nearly in tears. Jennifer wanted to leave him and the children. He spoke vaguely of some problems she had had earlier during the day, obviously wanting to protect her. Jennifer then interrupted, “Why don’t you quit beating around the bush, Richard. Say it. Tell him that I struck one of the children. Tell him what I’ve said to you and the children! Or are you afraid what the bishop might think of our ‘model’ home!” Richard only looked at me.

“Suppose, Jennifer, you tell me what’s wrong,” I said.

“I’ve had it—that what’s wrong, Bishop. I’m fed up with my husband—my kids—and this house. I’m tired of the pretense of being an ideal Latter-day Saint family when we’re anything else but. I want out of this situation, the sooner the better.”

And so I listened—from 1:00 A.M. until 3:00 A.M. in the morning—to a woman who had previously enjoyed the Spirit of the Lord but who was now filled with vindictive, accusing feelings. It is not necessary to attempt to recreate the sordid scene, nor the events of that day or days previous which brought about this nightmare. It is sufficient to say that the Spirit which had once attended this sister was now gone. All feelings of refinement, sensitivity, kindness, congeniality, and charity had disappeared. In their place were accusation, coarseness, abusiveness, and hatred. I prayed inwardly for the wisdom beyond my natural ability to help.

When she had finished her tirade, she said defiantly: “Now I suppose, Bishop, that you’re going to try to dissuade me from leaving Richard.”

“No, Jennifer, it appears to me that you have already made up your mind about what you’re going to do. Neither I nor anyone else could dissuade you. So perhaps the thing for you to do is to leave.” I paused and then added, “But, Jennifer, I want you know before I leave here tonight that there is a way out of your misery if you’re willing to try.” Though she didn’t say anything, her eyes pled for help.

“Do you remember what the Savior taught those who sought to be his disciples? You have probably read or heard some of these teachings many times. You remember as a girl in Sunday School how you were asked to memorize the teachings of Jesus called the Beatitudes. Tonight as you were talking I couldn’t help but think that they must apply here.

“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ The first step, Jennifer, is to realize that you have need for the Lord’s help. The Book of Mormon states: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me.’ This is the way you can solve this problem—by coming to the Lord for help. But how can you come unto him?

“‘Blessed are they that mourn.’ We come unto the Savior by manifesting a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In other words, we mourn about the condition which prevents us from becoming his friend and having his Spirit with us always. I’m not talking about self-pity, Jennifer. I’m talking about the kind of sorrow that purges ugly feelings and desires from the heart. The Savior then tells us how we may overcome this depression and despair that is such a burden for you right now.

“‘Blessed are the meek.’ To be meek is to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask and plead for his help to overcome our weakness. The Savior has also said, ‘My grace is sufficient for the meek.’ What does that mean? ‘If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they be humble . . . for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.’ [Ether 12:26–27.]

“‘Now, Jennifer, you have discovered a weakness in your character that is preventing you from having the Spirit of the Lord. Don’t you desire the blessings that will enable you to overcome your weaknesses? Don’t you desire that joy and happiness that has been absent from your life during these past months?

“‘Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.’ That’s the blessing you need so desperately, Jennifer! Now let’s consider the rest of the Savior’s beatitudes.

“Do you want to be more kind? ‘Blessed are the merciful.’

“Do you really desire to overcome hypocrisy? ‘Blessed are the pure in heart.’

“Do you want peace in your own home? ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’

“And then there is the teaching about being able to bear persecution. But what about bearing up against stress and persecutions of the adversary in your own home?

“The point is, Jennifer, if you really want these attributes, they are available to you as you ‘hunger and thirst’ after them. This is the righteousness the Savior is referring to—these are the blessings that come as one is filled with the Holy Ghost. By recognizing your need to depend daily, even hourly, upon the Lord, by fasting and prayer you can overcome this problem that is now leading you to such misery. Here is the Savior’s promise to you:

“. . . remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.’ [Helaman 5:12.]

I then bore testimony to her of the truthfulness of these principles. Her tears, the first indication of the spirit of repentance, told me she also knew them to be true. There was a way out. There was a hope. Perhaps for the first time in her life, she began to sense how the gospel becomes a power to solve our problems, to refine our natures, and to help us become more Christlike in our disposition.

Before leaving that night we knelt in prayer together. As we arose from our knees, I knew that Jennifer would not be leaving her husband or her home.

It has been seven years since the incident of that evening. Jennifer and Richard have added three more children to their family. Overcoming her problems

has not been easy; in fact, it has been an intense struggle. Gradually, however, by applying the principles of the Savior on a daily basis, she has found a strength she did not previously know.

The Beatitudes are things that we can do in our life so that we can have immense happiness and they are a way to help us keep our standards and our testimony strong!

Have a wonderful week!