Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feasts of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as with the Dormition of Saint Anne!

For several Sundays now, we have discussed the Beatitudes from the Gospel of St. Matthew. Today, we are left to tie them all together into a single whole. The Holy Hierarch Gregory of Nyssa, who expounds on the Beatitudes more fully than the other Holy Fathers, says that they are like that ladder which the Patriarch Jacob saw and upon which the angels ascended and descended from heaven to our earth. In other words, we can use these Beatitudes as a guide from our sinful life to a sublime spiritual life.

Although we can at any moment fulfill any one of the nine Beatitudes (for example, give alms, reconcile warring parties, repent of our sins) and receive for this great spiritual benefit, if you wish to become perfect in the spiritual life, to be truly blessed (that is, fortunate) and to inherit rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven, you must little by little fulfill each of these beatitudes to perfection. Of course, you could jump from one step to another on this ladder and reach the top, but there is a real danger that a person acting in such an impulsive way could fall off the ladder and be injured, or if he falls from a height, even fall to his death. Therefore, it is better and far safer to ascend slowly, but surely.

The first beatitude, as well as the eighth (the penultimate one), say that the reward will be the Kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps in this way Christ is hinting that all of the beatitudes, from the first to the last, even those that promise an earthly reward, lead to the Kingdom on high. When we set out on a trip, we say that we are leaving for that certain place, and when we have reached our destination we say we have arrived. The same thing is happening here; we begin our trip to the Kingdom and with the final beatitude we reach our destination. Between these two points is the road that must be travelled. The Beatitudes are this road.

We have repeatedly mentioned that the first beatitudes hold within themselves that out of which is built a spiritual and moral foundation: spiritual poverty (humility), tears (repentance), meekness (dispassion). Without these foundational elements, nothing else will be able to stand firmly. The beatitudes that follow stand on the first and talk about the most elevated spiritual deeds: the search for God’s righteousness, almsgiving, a pure heart (strict moral purity including in one’s thoughts), the desire and ability to reconcile warring parties. The spiritual rewards for those who can fulfill these final beatitudes are likewise most elevated and wonderful: to see God and to become His children. Finally, at the apex of our spiritual ladder stands the most sublime spiritual good deed, the desire to suffer for the sake of Christ.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, the Beatitudes are not a simply a random list of Christian laws, but a guide from earth to heaven which we are called to use throughout our life. May our Lord God, who is at the head of this spiritual ladder of the Beatitudes, through the prayers of His Most-pure Mother and all the saints, give us strength and wisdom to lay a stable foundation, to take the first steps up and, by degrees, ascend to the heights of this wonderful spiritual ladder.

priest Alexis