Blessed Are the Empty: How to Read the Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are popularly known and rightly beloved, yet we can too quickly read past them and fail to ponder their message. Moreover, they can be difficult to understand. After all, what does Jesus mean when he teaches that the “poor in spirit” have the kingdom or that “those who mourn” will somehow find comfort? What sort of logic does Jesus use when he says that those persecuted for righteousness are actually blessed?Alternatively, the subtle imperatives embedded within the Beatitudes can