Jesus outlined the Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel. When we hear the Beatitudes read to us at Mass, we can feel judged and defeated not quite sure how this list applies to us in this modern world. We may not recognize ourselves in the list and can easily dismiss the sermon as ‘advice for someone else’, excluding ourselves from those that Jesus was identifying as blessed. We get home from Mass and are more worried about clean clothes and counters and don’t have the bandwidth to even begin to fathom what Jesus meant by the ‘clean of heart’.

What if our understanding of the Beatitudes was a little off the mark? Would our attitude change if we discovered that Jesus was not pointing the spotlight to certain people that would receive His favor creating a spiritual comparison game? No, He was calling our attention to the internal attitudes and dispositions that are necessary for us to begin to experience the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. The Beatitudes are for each and every one of us and are the key to understanding the heart of Jesus’s message.

In Radiant, you will discover, in a new accessible way, the depth and beauty of the Beatitudes. This Ten Week study combines Scripture, saintly examples, personal reflection, prayer, and small group discussion to help you understand what it means to be happy in a world that is growing increasingly chaotic.

Pope Francis described the Beatitudes as the Christian’s calling card and the portrait of the Master (Jesus). Now is the time for us to get serious about how we live out our Christian discipleship. We have a choice, our time can be dedicated to following the path that Christ set forth in the Beatitudes or we can continue to drift along the path of least resistance with no aim in mind. Which way do you want to go?