The Eight Beatitudes
M.A.P.S #4

Luke 6:17, 20-26
Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said;
"Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for your will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way."

'The Eight Beatitudes'

taught by Servant of God, Father John A. Hardon, S.J.

Reflection on the 'Eight Generosities of Motherhood'

As a Mother...

Sharon Willoughby

The First Beatitude

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

"The poor in spirit are those who voluntarily become poor to follow Christ more closely; those who are detached in spirit from the material goods of this life; those who maintain a low opinion of themselves while others esteem them; and those who are satisfied with what they have and accept it without impatience. The kingdom of God promised to the poor in spirit is the state of grace by which God now lives in us and the Beatific Vision in the world to come. In the First Beatitude, Christ advocates poverty, while the world despises the poor and canonizes the rich.

Humility is the moral virtue that keeps a person from reaching beyond himself. It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation of their position with respect to God and their neighbors. Religious humility recognizes one's total dependence on God; moral humility recognizes one's creaturely equality with others. Yet humility is not only opposed to pride; it is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which would fail to recognize God's gifts and use them accordingly to His will."

As a mother, I visit this beatitude with all the surprises, disappointments, failures, shortcomings and blessings, that may form my days in the life of my children. If I were to arrive before the Lord at days end, rich in my own successes, what would the Lord multiply for me? This kingdom promised is a near as the next Sacrament we encounter together as a family. His promise of the kingdom of heaven provides the difference in life on this side of grace.

The Second Beatitude

“Blessed the gentle; they shall have the earth for their heritage.”

"Gentleness is love when faced with provocation. It is acting toward others with charity and humility, without sharpness, without contempt and without ever becoming impatient with their shortcomings. The heritage promised to the gentle is the land of their own hearts of which they have control, the land of the hearts of others which they have conquered by their goodness, and the land of Heaven. In the Second Beatitude, Christ praises gentleness while the world belittles meekness and praises those who succeed by crushing anyone who stands in the way. Meekness is the virtue that moderates anger and its disorderly effects. It is a form of temperance that controls every inordinate movement of resentment at another person's character or behavior."

As a mother, provocation may be the essence of engaging with children at times when formation is taking place. I bring all of these encounters with my own children to this beatitude with every motive to conquer with goodness all that is entrusted to my care. In 1998, we were living in Puerto Rico with five children when Hurricane Georges devastated the island with months of recovery to follow. The home we were in was built as a cement bunker on Ramey Base in Aguadilla. For days, we anticipated, prepared, prayed and lived in anxiety, not knowing what to expect. The violent sounding winds and intensity of weather that passed over our house were terrifying. When the eye of the hurricane finally passed over us, the sounds of silence and calm compelled us to run outside to express our relief and joy. This is the gentleness in the eye of motherhood that I strive to realize in the storms of child-rearing.

The Third Beatitude

“Blessed those who mourn; they shall be comforted.”

"Christ especially praises the mourning of repentance for one’s own sins and of reparation for the sins of others and the mourning of sorrow over the loss-by death or separation-of someone who is loved. His promise to those who mourn is the spiritual strength they need to remain firm in their hardships and, in fact, to grow in God’s friendship because of their trial. Christ mainly encourages sorrow for sin,while the world enjoys living in pleasure and the noise of empty laughter."

As a mother, I express to my children sorrow for those times when I did not hear them with my heart, but only with random acts of attentiveness. Each day brings new ways to listen and respond in love. In a family, we teach our children that when we hurt each other, we forgive by expressing our sorrow. I was blessed this Saturday to make it to Confession. My six-year-old daughter asked me why I needed to go to Confession. I explained that even when I lose my patience at home and say I'm sorry to them, I still have to go to Jesus and tell Him I am sorry, because He loves them even more than I do.What a witness we are to our children when we partake of the Sacramental life with the zeal of our own regular conversions.

The Fourth Beatitude

“Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right; they shall be satisfied.”

"Those that hunger and thirst for what is right are those who desire what they should. They want what God wants and their desires are always satisfied. Those who hunger and thirst for what is right are satisfied because their desires are in agreement with God’s will. And God always gives a deep spiritual joy to those who do His will in spite of trial and difficulty. Indeed, there is no true happiness even in this life except in conformity with the divine will. In the Fourth Beatitude, Christ promises joy only to those who seek justice and holiness while the world offers satisfaction in the enjoyment of sin."

As a mother, my day begins and end by providing for the physical needs of my children. As they grow, asking the Lord to give them a hunger and thirst for what is right in His plan for them, gives me a renewal in blessing and hope in this beatitude. It seems unnatural to pray for my children to be hungry and thirsty, but if they are satisfied without the Lord, what is left to fill them? Make them hunger and thirst Lord, for all of You!

The Fifth Beatitude
“Happy the merciful; they shall have mercy shown them.”

"The merciful are those who forgive injuries and pardon those who offend them. Mercy is love shown to the unlovable and charity to those who have been unjust and ungrateful. The reward is to obtain mercy from God. In the Fifth Beatitude, Christ commands us to forgive and show mercy to those who have offended us, while the world seeks vengeance and its law courts are filled with demands for retribution. Mercy is the disposition to be kind and forgiving. It is the ready willingness to help anyone in need, especially in need of pardon or reconciliation."

As a mother, my children are always watching how I react in adult situations, whether it be with extended family, politics, religion or even my own beloved spouse. I bring to this beatitude all those temptations to self-preservation in prideful realities that may occur in view of my own children. We describe forgiveness as not making someone continue to 'pay' for having inflicted injury. One strives to be sorry for offending, while the other strives to forgive the offense in family life. Sometimes it is the child that will not forgive that receives most of my attention. Who could forget the picture of Pope John Paul II in an attentive embrace in the cell of the man who attempted to assassinate him? I bring to this beatitude, prayer for self-knowledge of the attachments that may prevent God's graces upon my family. The desire to pray for His mercy over us all completes my time with this beatitude.

The Sixth Beatitude

“Happy the pure in heart; they shall see God.”

"The pure in heart are those who observe chastity according to their state of life. They are all whose hearts are free from sinful attachment to creatures. Their reward is a clear faith in the divine mysteries in this life and the promise of the vision of God in the life to come. In the Sixth Beatitude, Christ blesses those who are pure of heart while the world scoffs at chastity and makes an idol of creatures. Purity is freedom from anything that weakens or impairs or changes the nature of a being or its activity. Purity of faith means the absence of error or what is contrary to the revealed truth; purity of intention is the exclusion of self-will in the desire to perform the will of God; purity of conscience is the absence of any sense of guilt in the performance of a moral action."

As a mother, it is this beatitude that strengthens me in the sacrifices that are necessary to provide the teachings of our faith and the life of moral living together as a family. This blessing that the pure of heart shall see God provides me every comfort, especially in times of trials and tribulations, challenges and misunderstandings in our passion for the culture of life.

The Seventh Beatitude

“Happy the peacemakers; they shall be called the sons of God.”

"Peacemakers are those who love peace and labor to establish peace all around them; they try to heal discord between people and especially to seek to reconcile sinners who are estranged from God. The rewards promised to peacemakers are the grace now of being specially loved by God as His dearest children and the attainment of heavenly glory as part of God’s family in eternity."

As a mother I bring to this beatitude the petition to be attentive to the movements of peace in each of the traits of my children. How may I best anticipate peaceful co-existences at meal time, at play time, at school and work time? To labor for peace in the family so that we all remain close begins with the proper sleep, rest, nutrition and exercise, for us all. The time we spend in prayer, especially with the family recitation of the Rosary, brings about a tolerance and acceptance that show glimpses to the blessings in this beatitude.

The Eighth Beatitude

“Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

"All those are persecuted in the cause of right who are opposed and criticized for their loyalty to Christ and His Church and who persevere in doing God’s will in spite of not being accepted or even being rejected by others. Christ teaches the humanly impossible doctrine of accepting persecution with patience and resignation to God’s will while the world dreads nothing more than criticism and rejection. Human respect, which means acceptance by society, is the world’s moral norm. The reward for suffering persecution on earth is the possession of the kingdom of God in Heaven."

The silent persecution that occurs when others express disdain for the large family, is truly a small sacrifice of praise for the generosity the Lord has shown to us. It is the silent suffering of being open to life and not conceiving or losing life after conception that only God can see and understand, yet common in the life of a mother. Seeing my own children grow into righteous persecutions with their own peers creates a motherly sorrow that only this beatitude may console.

Father Hardon reminds us that the joy that Christ promises is true happiness twice over. True because the joy we experience on earth is a foretaste of the perfect happiness in store for all eternity'. By practicing these virtues, we are assured of a life of blessedness that will never end, as we account for the hope that is within us.

Reverend Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Servant of God

Founder

Marian Catechist Apostolate

www.mariancatechist.com

Marianna in Oklahoma City at the abortuary.

Eye has not seen...

Ear has not heard...

What God has ready for those who love Him.

Love's Storm
M.A.P.S. #3
(Picture of Kelly's Bridal Bouquet on December 19th, 2009 Wedding Day Blizzard)


Greetings on this morning of one of the worst snow storms in history for the Washington, DC area.
My 9-year-old, John, who is studying measurements in math this week,
measured a 13-inch accumulation of snow on our back porch.
With another band of snow coming this afternoon, he is keeping the yard stick close by the door.
It never ceases to amaze me how mother natures assists 'this' mother
with the practical learning skills in home schooling.

This First Saturday in February is the first, First Saturday in 13 months
that we will not have our Children's Holy Hour at
the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at Our Lady of Angels Parish.
On December 6th, 2008, the feast of Saint Nicholas, patron of children,
we had our very first gathering with families before
Our Eucharistic Lord.
This gathering occurs every first Saturday from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
and is open to all families.

Bringing our children to the Lord for one hour, where,
through prayer and song,
we enter into His presence through their simply way,
has been our response,as parents, to the Lord's request,to
"Suffer the children to come unto me, and forbid them not:
for such is the kingdom of God". Mark 10:14

We have learned to pray with our children
in the Lord's presence in simplicity and joy.
Our desire to bring our small children before the Blessed Sacrament
nearly 15 years ago,
lead us to discern through catechesis a possible way
that would help our children grow
into an hour of silence, with spiritual maturity.

We have formed our Children's Hour around
the catechesis of prayer
as taught through The Catechism of the Catholic Church #2644,
whereby we realize:

"The Holy Spirit who teaches the Church and recalls to Her all that Jesus said also instructs Her in the life of prayer, inspiring new expressions of the same basic forms of prayer: blessing, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise".

We have embodied these forms of prayer in the word,
A.L.T.A.R.
For children to offer Adoration, Love, Thanksgiving, Asking and Reparation,
before the altar of Sacrifice where the monstrance holds our Lord,
has provided a respite for our family that has
strengthened us in the Lord,
through the years.
The Lord's generosity in granting us the desire
to meet in this way
has evolved for our older twenty-year-old sons,
as they now frequent the Blessed Sacrament on their own,
as the storms of life and thanksgivings of God's Providence occur.

Within our Holy Hour we sing songs of love to Our Lord,
we thank Him for the gift of His mother, Our Lady, through song.
Our thanksgiving to Him for the angels and our prayers of petition
for the Church are offered through the children, as they openly pray.
When the Holy Rosary is prayed, families lead us in each decade.
Before we depart Our Lord we all sing a song from the deposit of liturgical music,
familiar to all.
We spend time in silence,
before we invite the children to offer an expression of love
to the Lord, as they piously leave His Presence.

Occasionally, a mother stays behind,
only imagining the joy that surrounds the 'Lord of our children'
for having had them there with Him in unseen faith!

On December 5th, 2009, our First Saturday visit,
we began our Holy Hour and sang this beautiful simple children's song,
"O, the blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow"!
When our hour ended,
it was snowing outside and we were all beyond our joy.
The Lord provided us, through this simple song,
how He delights when we seek Him in all things...
even the snow!

I will be spending time in the snow today,
as I imagine the love of the Lord compared
to the unforeseen accumulation of snow flakes.
Infinite, transforming, ever-present!
As mothers, we provide all that is needed to send our children out today,
to include gloves, hats, boots, ski-pants, hot chocolate, hot bubble baths,
and warm food.
My prayer this week is that I am attentive to the motherly provisions needed
in the hidden 'storms of love' that Our Lord decides to send our way.

During our Children's Hour,
a child reads the Holy Father's Intentions for the month.
I am including it here for us to consider in our family prayer time.
FEBRUARY 2010
Scholars
General: For all scholars and intellectuals,
that by means of sincere search for the truth
they may arrive at an understanding of the one true God.

The Church’s Missionary Identity
Missionary: That the Church, aware of its own missionary identity,
may strive to follow Christ faithfully and to proclaim His Gospel to all peoples.