
THE BEATITUDES – BLESSED
Reading Time: 3 minutes Introduction The Beatitude is the first major discourse delivered by Jesus as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew (chapters 5–7; see also Luke 6:20–49). Beatitude is a state of supreme happiness. It could be likened to the Hindu and Buddhist Enlightenment/Nirvana, the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation, marked by the extinction of desire, suffering and individual awareness. The beatitudes have been influenced by Isaiah 61, which mentions the poor in 61:1; comfort for mourners in 61:2; righteousness in 61:3.8.11; healing of the…