Beatitudes for Families
Giving life to a child touches a parent’s heart and leads to the Divine as reflected in the Beatitudes in so many ways.
In Matthew 5: 1-5 we read, “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Nothing compares with having children to help nudge us away from the material world. The battle, of course, is ongoing, but becoming a parent helps to free us from the affairs of vanity that come from a store.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
The bond between parent and child creates a love more intense than ever previously experienced but also opens the heart to the possibility of deeper wounds.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Taking children to church or anywhere in public that requires good behavior cultivates meekness. When the desired behavior fails, every parent knows the meekness of hoping and praying for calm then trying to quickly sneak out with the offending child to restore quiet for the rest.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled.
We want life to be fair for our children. It hurts us when they are subjected to unfair situations–life lessons that are perhaps harder for us to watch than for them to experience.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
How often we pray, “Lord, have mercy!” Our own mercy expands for those we love so much thus giving us a window to the love or our Heavenly Father.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
We pray for purity for our children and our greatest desire is that everyone in our family will spend eternity with God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Peace between our children is an ongoing pursuit as well as peace between spouses and with the in-laws.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Teaching our children Godly values and being open to life regularly puts us at odds with the culture, bringing down persecution for the sake of righteousness.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Following Catholic teaching and teaching our children to do the same, invites insults and mockery; sometimes even within our own families. The Beatitudes gives us comfort and hope, knowing that we were made for such a time and such a task.
God entrusted us with the souls of our beloved children. Following Jesus, we follow the Beatitudes. And this prayer of St. Faustina as written in her diary Divine Mercy in my Soul reflects this mission.
Every soul you have entrusted to me, Jesus, I will try to aid with prayer and sacrifice, so that your grace can work in them. O great lover of souls, my Jess, I thank you for the immense confidence with which you have designed to place souls in our care. (245).
Merciful Lord, grand that the souls you have entrusted to us will be saved and united with you.
Copyright 2014 Patti Maguire Armstrong
