Beatitudes Eight Steps to Happiness

includes index and biblioraphy

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit. for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven The poor and the poor in SPirit .............1 The theological Explanation is Insuficient ..........3 Poerty in Christ`s Life ...............6 To be for the Poor and to be Poor ..........10 Why voluntary poverty ...............14 The contemporary relevance of the Beatitude on Poverty .............16 2. Blessed are you that weep now. for you shall laugh A new Relationship between pleasure and pain .........20 Where is your God .............24 Let the Priests. the Ministers of the lord weep ........28 The best tears ............30 3. Blessed are the meek . for they shall inherit the arth Two keys to reading the beatitudes ........34 Jesu, the meek one .......37 Meekness adn tolerance .........39 Learn from me, for I am Meek ............43 Putting on the meekness of Christ .......47 4. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied history and spirit ........49 who are the hungry and the satisfied ........51 A contemporary parable ........56 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ..........58 Physical bread and Eucharistic Bread ..............61 5. Blessed are the merciful, for the Shall obtain mercy The mercy of Christ ..............65 A god who Delights in Showing Mercy ............67 Our Mercy: Cause or Effect of God`s Mercy ..............70 Experience divine mercy ......72 A church rich in Mercy ............74 Put on Compassion ............75 6. Blessed are the Pure in Heart. for they Shall see God From ritual purity to purity of Heart ..................79 A look at history ..............83 We have two lives ........86 One kind of Collective hypocrisy ............89 Religious hypocrisy ..........92 7. Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be Called Songs of God who are the Peacemakers .........97 The message for world day of Peace .....99 Peace as a Gift ...........101 Peace as a Task : Religious peace ...104 Peace without religion...............107 8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness Sake, for their is the kingdom of Heaven Two forms of Persecutio : Death andmarginalization .........115 The characteristic of a True Martyr: Love, Humility and grace ...............118 Persecuted unjustly or justly ..........124 Before descending the mount .........126