1. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

2. The Beatitudes Defined
Beatitude comes from the Latin word “Beatitudo”, meaning blessed or happiness. When Jesus states, “Blessed are those who . . .” He is saying, .“Happy are those who “
Jesus gives us the Beatitudes in His Sermon on the Mount found in the Gospel of Matthew.
The Beatitudes direct us in a way where we normally wouldn’t expect to find happiness.

3. Jesus’ Message: The Beatitudes
Virtues: Attitudes and habits that make us likely to do what is good. For Example: - Faith, Love, Hope, Patience, Courage
In biblical times, beatitudes were often given as directions for life.
The Beatitudes that Jesus gave us directs our life along a path that will lead to happiness. Each person is in search of happiness in life.
Jesus is leading us to find happiness by connecting God to our life. When we focus our life on God and others, we will begin to find meaning and purpose to our daily experiences

4. 1. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
we cannot do things on our own, we rely on God to be there for us
being detached from our possessions so we can share them or give them away - a call to be generous
choosing to be humble
be filled with the love of God
are themselves and do not put on an act
let you see their good points and their bad points
admit they have weaknesses; they do not try to have some kind of image

5. 2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
mourning for a loved one who has died
are sad when things are not going well for their friends
not selfish or self-centered
feel sad that so many things in the world aren’t the way they should be
One can mourn over a death, an illness, a bad test mark, not reaching a goal…

6. 3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth
are gentle
respond with compassion
are willing to do with less, so that others can have more
respect and value all life
don’t force others to change
don’t treat people poorly
don’t try to get their own way by using physical, emotional, or verbal violence

7. 4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
act justly
they see the dignity in every person
respond to the needs of others
stick up for others
want to do what is the right thing at ALL times

8. 5. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”
understand the importance of forgiveness
show love and forgiveness to others
give up the idea of vengeance
seek what is best for another in spite of what has been done to them
help bring peace to others

9. 6. “ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
are genuine and deal honestly with others
they act out of love for God and others
they make the most loving choice no matter what
to love and serve is more important than to be loved and to be served
are your friend at all times
they are consistent toward treating people with respect and love

10. 7. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
show love and care to both friends and enemies
work to make all of their relationships healthy and life giving
they look for signs of love that may be going wrong and work quickly to set things right
are willing to make tough decisions to do what is best for all
help you patch things up
help bring peace by not seeking argument’s

11. stick with you at all times, especially difficult times
8. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
stick with you at all times, especially difficult times
are not afraid of being persecuted for sticking up for people and the things they believe in
look at what is the right thing to do

12. On a separate piece of paper, reexamine the characteristics of the Beatitudes and explain which Beatitude you currently live out the best and why. In addition, explain which Beatitude you need to improve on in your relationship with others and why.