My fascination with the Beatitudes began years ago with a breathtaking melody. I was attending an Eastern Catholic liturgy in a small chapel full of incense and golden icons when I first heard Jesus' Sermon on the Mount chanted in a way that caught my attention like it never had before. You are probably familiar with this passage of Scripture from Matthew 5:3-12, but I'll share it again anyway:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
That day in the tiny chapel, the song's beauty sparked my interest in what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the 'heart of Jesus' teaching.' (CCC1716).
Since then, I've read numerous books on the Beatitudes. For the longest time, my favorite was B. W. Maturin's Laws of the Spiritual Life, a book written shortly before its author perished heroically in WWI in the tragic sinking of the Lusitania.
I reread Maturin's book during all of my difficult pregnancies because his insights into the Beatitudes gave me the practical tools I needed to counteract the "default" spiritual and mental norms of this fallen world (ie: negativity, pessimism, fatalism, hopelessness, etc.) and to rise above my present circumstance by leaning on God's Word. In this masterful work, Maturin refers to the Beatitudes as "the doors thrown open by the hand of our Lord for men to walk forth in life upon the true road to happiness ...." (Maturin, p. 30)
Father Benedict Groeschel and Father Jacques Phillippe have also penned books full of profound insights into the Beatitudes. Their titles sit on my bedside table along with Maturin's and are lovingly covered with finger smudges and coffee stains.
In addition to these, I've read many other books on the Beatitudes but none have really resonated with me; I can't even remember their titles. I've also listened to plenty of homilies on this beloved passage of Scripture, but it's been a while since I heard anything new.
I found fresh insights!
So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I picked up Franciscan Fr. Mark-Mary Ames' book Eight Promises of God and found that it offers so many fresh insights on a passage I've read, sung, and meditated upon countless times. I enjoyed the book so much, I've already read it a few times and it's officially been added to my highly selective, coffee-spotted, finger-stained, bedside table collection. Here's why:
First off -- it's funny. Eight Promises of God reads like a light-hearted conversation with Fr. Mark-Mary, the award-winning author of Habits for Holiness and the host of the Ascension Press' popular podcast Rosary in a Year. He is the director of Communications and also of Priestly Studies for the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. But Fr. Mark-Mary is probably best known for being an easy-going, likable priest with a knack for storytelling -- and it comes through in his writing.
Over the past few weeks, I've found myself reading passages aloud to my teens about how Fr. Mark-Mary discovered some keen insight into being "poor in spirit" over a giant plate of nachos. My teens also actually laughed aloud at an excerpt from the "Blessed are the Peacemakers" chapter that opens with a fist fight between the NBA basketball players Shaquille O' Neal and Charles Barkley.
But Fr. Mark-Mary's new book isn't just funny, relevant, and approachable, it's also philosophical, contemplative, and deep. Drawing from Church tradition, Scripture, and the lives of the Saints, he presents the Beatitudes in a fresh way -- as promises, as beacons of hope we can cling to if we give our lives to Jesus.
"We forget that the Beatitudes are not some sort of acceptance of suffering," Fr. Mark-Mary explains in an Ascension Press video describing his book. "Rather, they are promises of God's mercy. They are promises of the Kingdom of God and the comfort of God." (summarized)
Above all, I think the reason Eight Promises of God resonates so deeply with me is because there is a rhythm and a cadence to the book and the language is poetic. Each chapter opens with an anecdote from Fr. Mark-Mary's time on the mission field, then it delves into Scripture and Sacred Tradition with lessons about Our Lord and Our Lady. The pacing reminds me of ... well, a song.
So, check it out! Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes. Ascension Press, 128 pages.
