The Sermon on the Mount (Bossuet)/Day 10
Tenth Day
The true Christian character, as shown in the Eight Beatitudes, and its opposite characteristics. — Matt. v. 3, 12; Luke vi. 20, 27.
THE week has gone happily by, and given us a beautiful octave, in going over seven Beatitudes and coming back to our starting-point in the eighth. We have tried to impress upon ourselves eight characteristics of a Christian, which form an abridgment of Christian philosophy: — poverty, meekness, mourning — or disgust with the present life — mercy, love of justice, cleanness of heart, love of peace, and suffering for Justice’ sake.
Three of these qualities may appear to be much alike — meekness, mercifulness and love of peace 'nevertheless, each of them has its separate character. It is one thing to be peaceable and able to put an end to quarrels either with ourselves or amongst others; another thing to be gentle and meek, so as not to offend or irritate anybody; and yet another to be merciful and beneficent.
The characteristics opposed to the eight we have just considered are these: — the spirit of possession or of riches; bitterness; love of pleasure; injustice and hardness; corruption of heart; a spirit of quarrelsomeness and misunderstanding; impatience under afflictions; and lastly a cowardice that makes us leave off following the law of truth and justice.
We find in St Luke an abridgment of the Beatitudes reduced to four: — to poverty, hunger, mourning, and being hated and persecuted for love of the Son of God. [1] To these four Beatitudes Jesus Christ adds four denunciations on men of the world: — ' Woe to you that are rich, for you have your consolation. Woe to you that are filled, for you shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when men shall bless you. For according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.' [2] Let us, then, be afraid to have our consolation on earth; afraid to seek it, afraid to receive it, afraid of the praise and approval of the world; but let us cherish this series of Beatitudes which carries us on from the love of poverty to that of suffering, and through the love of suffering back to that of poverty; and which bestows upon us the same Kingdom in reward for both.
In conclusion, the teaching of the Beatitudes may be summed up in three sayings, which I would have you weigh well.
The whole teaching of morals is for the sole purpose of making us happy.
Our Heavenly Master places this object first. We must learn of Him the Way to true and eternal happiness.