The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-11
Suffering
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. 1 Peter 2:21b
“Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions.” + St. Rose of Lima, virgin (1586-1617 A.D.)
“The preacher of God’s truth has told us that all who want to live righteously in Christ will suffer persecution.” + St. Raymond, priest (1175-1275 A.D.)
“God foretold hardship upon hardship in this world until the end of time. And you want the Christian to be exempt from these troubles? Precisely because he is a Christian, he is destined to suffer more in this world.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Christ gave us the example by his own sufferings.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“If the Lord has permitted you to have some trial, bear it willingly and with gratitude, considering that it has happened for your good and that perhaps you well deserved it.” + St. Louis, king (1214-1270 A.D.)
“If you remain constant in faith in the face of trial, the Lord will give you peace and rest for a time in this world, and forever in the next.” + St. Jerome Emiliani, bishop (1481-1537 A.D.)
“We progress by means of trial.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Where there is justice as well as fear, adversity will surely test the spirit. But it is not the torment of a slave. Rather it is the discipline of a child by its parent.” + St. Peter Damian, bishop (1007-1072 A.D.)
“God wishes to test you like gold in a furnace.” + St. Jerome Emiliani, bishop (1481-1537 A.D.)
“I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honoring his blood by shedding our own.” + St. Gregory Nazianzen, bishop (329-374 A.D.)
“The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death.” + St. Leo the Great, pope (400-461 A.D.)
“The fire rages, but the Lord is with us in tribulation.” + St. Bernard, abbot (1090-1153 A.D.)
“Christians must imitate Christ’s sufferings, not set their hearts on pleasures.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Sharing in Christ’s consolation will be proportionate to our sharing in his suffering.” + Origen, priest (185-251 A.D.)
“It is through sin that we become opposed to God; therefore, it is fitting that we should return to peace by way of scourges.” + St. Gregory the Great, pope (540-604 A.D.)
“During persecution the earth is closed off from us, but heaven lies open; the Antichrist threatens, but Christ protects us; death is brought on, but eternal life follows.” + St. Cyprian, bishop and martyr (208-258 A.D.)
“Like a king bent on persecution, sending orders to persecute to his many agents, and establishing different persecutors in each city or providence, the devil directs his many servants in their work of persecution, whether in public or in the souls of individuals. Of this kind of persecution Scripture says: All who wish to live a holy life in Christ Jesus suffer persecution.” + St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)
“Christ himself descended to be near those who are saddened in spirit, to be with us in our tribulation.” + St. Bernard, abbot (1090-1153 A.D.)
“Endure with Christ, suffer for him, if you wish to reign with him.” + Thomas a Kempis, religious )1380-1471 A.D.)
“The Lord’s passion depicts for us our present life of trial – shows how we must suffer and be afflicted and finally die. The Lord’s resurrection and glorification show us the life that will be given to us in the future.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“We must be ready to be crucified.” + St. Gregory Nazianzen, bishop (329-374 A.D.)
“We share in Christ’s sufferings symbolically and gain salvation in reality.” + From the Jerusalem Catecheses
“Widows must bear in mind that they are God’s sacrificial altar.” + St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr (69-155 A.D.)
“To enter the kingdom of God we must endure many tribulations. If there are many persecutions, there are many testings; where there are many crowns of victory, there are many trials of strength. It is then to your advantage if there are many persecutors; among many persecutions you may more easily find a path to victory. + St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)
“You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you are not living in them.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“The holy prophets lived according to Jesus Christ, and that is why they were persecuted.” + St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (35-98 A.D.)
“Christ endured everything for our sake so that we might live in him. Let us then imitate his constancy; if we should suffer because of his name, let us give him that glory.” + St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr (69-155 A.D.)
“Every man without exception is weak.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“When men suffer pain for the evil they have perpetrated in life, they should take some reassurance. They also know that for their good deeds undying rewards await them in the life to come.” + St. Peter Damian, bishop (1007-1072 A.D.)
“Whenever we suffer some affliction, we should regard it both as a punishment and as a correction.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D).
“If you know how to suffer in silence, you will surely receive God’s help.” + Thomas a Kempis, religious (1380-1471 A.D.)
“To go on gaining and advancing every day, we must be resolute, and bear and suffer as out blessed forerunners did. Which of them gained heaven without a struggle?” + St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, widow (1774-1821 A.D.)
“The final reckoning of all suffering will not take place until the world has come to an end.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men.” + St. Rose of Lima, virgin (1586-1617 A.D.)
“A coheir of Christ is one who is glorified along with Christ. The one who is glorified with him is one who, by suffering for him, suffers along with him.” + St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)
“The fire, the cross, packs of wild beasts, lacerations, rendings, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of the whole body, the horrible tortures of the devil – let all these things come upon me, if only I may gain Jesus Christ!” + St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (35-98 A.D.)
“God’s power is shown most perfectly in weakness.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop
