God.
(8) Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

The beatitudes are part of a sermon Our Lord once preached to the people
on the Mount. (Matt. 5). When Our Lord wished to preach, the Jews would
not always allow Him to enter their synagogues or meeting houses; so He
preached to the people in the open air. Sometimes He stood in a boat by
the seashore; sometimes on a little hill, with the people standing or
sitting near Him. Did you ever think how you would have acted if you
lived at that time and were present when Our Lord preached? How anxious
you would have been to get near to Him? How you would have pushed your
way through the crowd and listened to every word? Why, then, do you
sometimes pay so little attention in church or at instructions when the
words of Our Lord are repeated to you? Our Lord instituted a Church
which, as we know, is sometimes called the kingdom of Heaven. In this
sermon He laid down the condition for being good subjects of His
kingdom; that is, He gives the virtues we should practice to be good
children of the Church. He tells us what rewards we shall have for
practicing these virtues and leading a holy life: namely, God's grace
and blessing in this world and everlasting glory in Heaven.

(1) "Poor in spirit." One is poor in spirit if he does not set his heart
upon riches and the goods of this world in such a way that he would be
willing to offend God in order to possess them, or rather than part with
them. Thus one who has no money but who would do anything to get it,
would be poor, but not poor in spirit, and therefore not among those Our
Lord calls blessed. If we are really poor and wish to be poor in spirit
also, we must be contented with our lot--with what God gives us--and
never complain against Him. No matter how poor, miserable, or afflicted
we may be, we could still be worse, since we can find others in a worse
condition than we are. We do not endure every species of misery, but
only this or that particular kind; and if the rest were added, how much
worse our condition would be! The very greatest misery is to be in a
state of sin. If we are poor and in sin, our condition is indeed
pitiable, for we have no consolation; but if we are virtuous in poverty,
bearing our trials in patience and resignation for the love of God, we
have the rich treasures of His grace and every assurance of future
happiness. On the other hand, if one is