Jesus Christ brought the New Testament to humanity, the meaning of which is that now every person who believes in God can be freed from sins that make his life difficult and joyless.
In the Gospel, the Lord's Sermon on the Mount is transmitted, in which He told people the nine beatitudes. These are the nine conditions under which a person can gain eternal life in the abode of the Most High.
By His death on the cross, Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of people and thereby gave them the opportunity to discover the Kingdom of Heaven in themselves during their earthly life. But in order to feel this grace, you need to fulfill the commandments of beatitude listed in the Sermon on the Mount.
The modern gospel differs significantly from the original. This is not surprising - it has been translated and rewritten many times. The surviving Ostromir Gospel, dated to the middle of the 11th century, most accurately conveys the content of the 9 beatitudes, but an ordinary person who does not have a special education can almost understand it.impossible. Not only is the Old Slavonic alphabet fundamentally different from the Russian one, the Gospels use words, expressions and concepts that have long been outdated and out of circulation. Theologians and philosophers all over the world have been and continue to be engaged in the interpretation of the Beatitudes.
Meaning of the word "bliss"
First you need to figure out what the word "bliss" means. The closest synonym is bliss. When we say that we are blissful, we mean that we are basking. In the gospel understanding, beatitude means something different. Christian bliss is grace. To experience bliss in the Christian sense means to be in a state of serene peace. In modern terms, do not experience anxiety, doubts, anxieties. Christian bliss is not an analogue of the serene peace of Buddhists or Muslims, since it can manifest itself in the physical world during earthly life as a result of a conscious choice and renunciation of the manifestations of the forces of evil. The interpretation of the beatitudes explains the meaning of this choice and self-denial.
The purpose of the commandments
Bible commandments mark the milestones in the development of a person as a person, the evolution of his spiritual world. On the one hand, they indicate what should be the goal of a person's life, on the other hand, they reflect his nature and reveal what a person has an inner attraction to. Gospel beatitudes echo those of the Old Testament. The 10 beatitudes given by the Lord to Moses are more related to the material world andphysical relationship between people in society. They indicate what a person should do, but do not affect his state of mind.
The seven prohibitions listed in the Sermon on the Mount are sometimes erroneously referred to as the 7 Beatitudes of Jesus Christ. It is not right. Christ did not reject the prohibitions to kill, envy, create new idols, commit adultery, steal and glutton, but said that the result of the eradication of these sins is the emergence of pure love between people. “Yes, love one another,” the Lord commanded, and thus set people up not to track misconduct, but to treat each other with mercy, understanding and sympathy.
The 9 Beatitudes were interpreted by such prominent thinkers as Meister Eckhart, Henri Bergson, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Nikolai Serbsky and others. Consider each commandment in detail.
About spiritual poverty
The first beatitude of the Lord says that the first condition of beatitude is to feel spiritually poor. What does it mean? In the old days, the concept of poverty did not mean a difficult financial situation, lack of money or property. A beggar was a person who asked for something. Poor in spirit means asking for spiritual enlightenment. Happy, or blissful, is the one who does not ask or seek material we alth, but the one who acquires wisdom and spirituality.
Bliss is not to feel satisfaction from the absence of material goods or from their presence, but to not feel superior to others in the event of the presence of materialprosperity or oppressed in case of its absence.
The commandments of the beatitude of Jesus Christ set up the acceptance of earthly life as a means to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven, and if material we alth serves a person to increase spiritual we alth, then this is also the right path to God.
It is easier for a poor person to come to God, because he is stronger than a rich person, he is concerned about his own survival in the material world. It is believed that he turns to God for help more often, and he is more likely to connect with the Creator. However, this is an oversimplified idea of what constitutes the path of gaining spiritual wisdom and bliss.
Another interpretation of the commandment is based on the translation of the word "spirit" from the ancient Aramaic language. Then its synonym was the word "will". Thus, a person who is “poor in spirit” can be called a “poor of his own free will.”
Comparing both meanings of the expression “poor in spirit”, we can assume that Christ under the first beatitude meant that those who voluntarily choose only the achievement of wisdom as their goal will reach the Kingdom of Heaven. And to her alone he will direct his will and mind.
On consolation of those who cry
Happy are those who weep, for they will be comforted, - this is how the second commandment of beatitude sounds in a modern presentation. You should not think that we are talking about any tears. It is no coincidence that this commandment comes after the one that speaks of spiritual poverty. It is on the first commandment that all subsequent ones are based.
Crying is grief and regret. The poor in spirit regrets the yearsspent on the search and accumulation of material things. He grieves that he did not gain wisdom earlier, he remembers his own actions and the actions of other people that ruined their lives, as they were aimed at achieving worldly joys. He regrets the wasted time and effort. He cries that he has sinned against God, who sacrificed his own Son to people in order to save them, mired in worldly squabbles and worries. Therefore, you need to understand that not all crying is pleasing to God.
For example, a mother's cry that her son has become a drug addict or a drunkard is not always pleasing to God - if a mother cries that she will be left alone in old age, without the care and care that she expected to receive from an adult son, then she cries only from hurt pride and from disappointment. She cries because she will not receive worldly goods. Such crying will not bring consolation. He can turn a woman against other people, whom she will appoint as guilty of what happened to her son, and the unfortunate mother will begin to think that the world is unfair.
And if this woman begins to cry because her son stumbled and chose a disastrous path because of her own oversight, because from an early age she inspired him only with a desire for material superiority over others, but did not explain the need to be kind, honest, merciful and indulgent to the shortcomings of other people? With such repentant tears, a woman will purify her soul and help her son to be saved. It is about such lamentation that it is said: “Blessed are those who weep, who grieve because of their own sins. For them the Lord will findconsolation, for the sake of such tears the Lord will show mercy and give a miracle of forgiveness.”
O meek ones
Christ called meekness the third beatitude. It seems that there is no point in explaining this bliss. Everyone understands that a meek person is called a person who does not object, does not resist, humbles himself before people and circumstances. However, everything is not so simple here either. A person who does not contradict those who are stronger and more powerful than him cannot be considered meek in the gospel understanding. Divine meekness comes from the first two beatitudes. First, a person realizes his spiritual poverty, then repents and cries about his sins. Sincere contrition for them makes a person tolerant of the evil shown by other people. He knows that they, like himself, sooner or later will come to understand their own guilt for the troubles that happen to them, realize their responsibility and guilt for the injustice and evil that they do to others.
The repentant sinner, like no one else, is well aware that before God all people are equal. The repentant does not put up with evil, but, having experienced many sufferings, he comes to the understanding that the salvation of man is only in the hands of God. If He saved him, then He will save others.
Preaching the beatitudes is not divorced from real life. The Lord Jesus Christ was meek, but he fell with anger on the merchants who exchanged sacrificial doves and candles for money in the temple, but He did not give us the right to do the same. He has commanded us to be meek. Why? Because He Himself commanded - the man whowill show aggression, and will suffer from aggression.
The Lord teaches us that we should be thinking, but thinking about our own sins, and not about others, even if they are committed by a priest of the highest rank. John Chrysostom interprets this beatitude in this way: do not object to the offender, so that he does not hand you over to the judge, and he, in turn, to the executioner. Injustice often reigns in worldly life, but we must not grumble. We must accept the world as God created it and direct our energy towards improving our own personality.
It is interesting that many modern authors who have written instructions on how to win friends, how to become happy and successful, how to stop worrying and start living, give the same advice as Christ, but their advice does not work well. This is explained by the fact that they are not coordinated with each other and do not have outside support. In these councils, a person is opposed to the whole world and must cope with it alone, and following the Gospel, a person receives help from God Himself. Therefore, all such books quickly go out of fashion, and the gospel continues to be relevant for more than 2,000 years.
Those who thirst for truth
At first glance it seems that this commandment of beatitude repeats the first. The poor in spirit seek divine truth, while the hungry and thirsty seek truth. Are they not getting the same thing?
Consider this example. A certain person says about himself: “I don't know how to lie. I always tell the truth to everyone. Is it so? To thirst for the gospel truth does not mean to tell it to everyone and always. That truth-lover, whom we called “a certain person,” often turns out to be just a boor who directly tells his opponent, who did not share his opinion or made some mistake, that he is stupid. Not only is this truth-seeker not very perspicacious and does not always do everything right, he is unlikely to tell this truth to someone who is stronger and more powerful than him.
So, what is the Divine truth and the pursuit of it, and what does it mean "those who thirst for truth will be satisfied with it"? John of Kronstadt explains this very clearly. A hungry person craves food. After saturation, some time passes, and he is hungry again. This is natural in the case of food. But as far as Divine truth is concerned, everything is somewhat different. God loves those who have received the first three beatitudes. For this, he gives them a calm and peaceful life. Such people, like a magnet, attract others to them. So, Emperor Leo left his throne and went to the desert, where Saint Moses Murin lived. The emperor wanted to know wisdom. He had everything he wanted, he could satisfy any of his worldly needs, but he was not happy. He longed for wise advice on what to do in order to regain the joy of life. Moses Murin understood the emperor's mental anguish. He wished to help the worldly ruler, longed for divine truth and received it (he was satisfied). Like grace, the holy elder poured out his wise words on the emperor and restored his peace of mind.
The Old Testament Adam and Eve lived in the presence of God, and His truth accompanied them at every moment of life, but they did not feel thirsty for it. They had nothingrepent, they did not experience any torment. They were sinless. They did not know losses and sorrows, therefore they did not value their well-being and, without any doubt, agreed to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For this, they lost the opportunity to see God and were expelled from paradise.
God gave us an understanding of what should be cherished and what we should strive for. We know that if we strive to keep His commandments, He will reward us and give us true happiness.
O merciful ones
There are several parables about mercy in the Gospel. These are the parables of the publican and the poor widow's mite. We all know that giving alms to the poor is a pious act. But even approaching this issue wisely and giving the beggar not the money that he is likely to spend on alcohol, but food or clothing, we do not become like a publican or a widow. After all, giving alms to a stranger, we, as a rule, do not infringe on ourselves. Such mercy is commendable, but it cannot be compared with the mercy of God, who gave people for the salvation of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Beatitudes are not as easy to fulfill as they seem at first glance. However, they are quite capable of us. How often, having learned about the troubles of a person, we utter such phrases: “Never mind - you have a sea of \u200b\u200bproblems”, “Of course, his fate is difficult, but everyone has his own cross” or “God's will for everything . Saying this, we are removed from the manifestation of true, Divine, mercy.
True mercy, subject to a person, can be expressed in such sympathy andthe desire to help another, which will make a person think about the reason for this misfortune, that is, to take the path of fulfilling the first bliss. The greatest mercy is that, having cleansed our own heart and soul from sin, we so asked God for help to a stranger to us, so that He would hear and fulfill it.
O pure in heart
Mercy should only be done with a pure heart. Only then will it be true. Having performed an act of mercy, we are often proud of our act. We rejoice that we have done a good deed, and even more rejoice that we have fulfilled one of the important commandments of beatitude.
Orthodoxy and other Christian religions encourage gratuitous material assistance that people provide to each other and the church. They thank donors, call their names during sermons, award letters of commendation, etc. Unfortunately, all this does not at all contribute to purity of heart, on the contrary, it encourages vanity and other, no less unpleasant qualities inherent in human nature. What can you say? God is dearer to him who, in the silence of his house, with tears, prays for the granting of he alth and daily bread to some unfortunate person, of whom he knows only what his name is.
These words are not in condemnation of those who donate to churches or show their generosity openly, in public. Not at all. But those who do mercy in secret keep their hearts pure. The Lord sees it. Not a single good deed goes unrewarded by him. The one who has received recognition from people has already been awarded - he is in a good mood, everyone praises and honors him. He will not receive the second reward, which is from God, for this work.
On peace bearers
7 The beatitude speaks of peacemakers. Jesus Christ considers the peacemakers equal to himself, and this mission is the most difficult. In every quarrel there is the fault of both one and the other side. It's very difficult to end a fight. It is not those who have known divine love and bliss that quarrel, but, on the contrary, people who are preoccupied with worldly problems and insults. Not everyone can establish peace between people who are obsessed with hurt pride, envy, jealousy or greed. It is important here to choose the right words, and to calm the anger of the parties so that the quarrel stops and does not happen again. The peacemakers will be called sons of God. So said Christ, the Son of God, and every word of His is full of great meaning.
About those expelled for the truth
War is a great way to solve the economic problems of one state at the expense of another. We know examples of how the high standard of living of some peoples is maintained by the fact that the governments of their countries unleash wars all over the world. Honest diplomats, journalists, politicians and the military, who have the opportunity to influence public opinion, are always persecuted. They are imprisoned, killed, denigrated with lies. It is impossible to imagine that any of the world wars ended after an honest peacemaker conveyed to the general public information about the personal interest of some representative of the royal family, presidential clan, financial or industrialmagnate in the production and supply of weapons to the warring parties.
What pushes well-known and authoritative people to oppose unjust wars, despite the fact that they cannot but understand that their initiative will be punished? They are driven by the desire for a just world, the preservation of the life and he alth of civilians, their families, homes and lifestyles, which means true mercy.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ communicated the commandments of God's beatitude to all who listened to him. They were people of different nationalities and faiths. The Lord said that the feat in the name of the world would make them equal to the Son of God. Does it matter to God what faith they profess? Of course not. The Lord came to bring faith and salvation to all. Children's doctor Leonid Roshal and Jordanian doctor Anwar el-Said are not Christians, but they are peacekeepers who prevented the deaths of several hundred people captured by terrorists during a performance at a Moscow cultural center. And there are many such examples.
On those who are oppressed for the love of God
How many beatitudes did the Lord give to people? Only nine. The commandment about those who are persecuted for faith and love of God is the last one. It refers more to the great Christian martyrs, who, by their death, established faith in Jesus Christ on earth. These people have gone down in history as saints. Thanks to them, now Christians can openly confess their faith and not be afraid for their lives and for their loved ones. Grace has been given to these saints to intercede before the Lord for sinners and ask forgiveness for them. They help believers in God cope withvarious difficulties - both with ordinary, everyday ones, and in the fight against the forces of evil. With their heavenly prayers, they keep the world from destruction. Akathists and entire liturgies are dedicated to them, which are read in all churches on the days of their commemoration.
