Beatitudes
Beatitudes
at Sacred Heart Primary School
The Beatitudes
The beatitudes are "blessed sayings" that come from the opening verses of the famous Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus Christ and recorded in Matthew 5:3-12. Here Jesus stated several blessings, each beginning with the phrase, "Blessed are ..." (Similar declarations appear in Jesus' Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:20-23.) Each saying speaks of a blessing or "divine favour" that will be bestowed on the person who possesses a certain character quality.
Beatitude Meaning
The word beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness."
The phrase "blessed are" in each beatitude implies a current state of happiness or well-being. This expression held a powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect happiness" to the people of Christ's day. In other words, Jesus was saying "divinely happy and fortunate are those who possess these inward qualities." While speaking of a current "blessedness," each pronouncement also promised a future reward.
Please click on the links below to find out more about each of the Beatitudes: