Confirmation Mentor guide Habit 5: Beatitudes Habit 5: Blessed are We The Beatitudes: Building our Character and Community What to Do: Start out with prayer - suggestion: ask the student to lead the prayer this week Review with them their Vision & Values Statement. Tackle "The Beatitudes : Building our Character and Community" Talk about the “holes” that might exist in this habit. Plan an action step (tangible and intangible) o Take Home Materials o Before Next Time Close in prayer Materials: Leader’s Guide and Candidate Handout Writing utensil Paper Bible (or smartphone Bible) 1 Confirmation Mentor guide Habit 5: Beatitudes What can we learn from THE BEATITUDES? Part of what distinguishes us as Catholics is that our lives are different in light of our relationship with Jesus Christ. This HABIT focuses on how to form our characters around the person of Jesus Christ and how our surrounding community can help us do this. Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus' message in the Beatitudes seems to flip the thinking of the world upside down. The persecuted should rejoice? The meek shall inherit the world? How could he say that? The Beatitudes are a reminder that our lives, if we are truly dedicated to Christ, should look distinctly different than those in the world. Let's examine Jesus' message more thoroughly. The Life and Times of a First-Century Jew (Matthew 5:1-12) During the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were under Roman occupation. The Romans charged incredibly high taxes on the Jewish people, most of who were impoverished already. The Jews faced this national crisis with the hope that one day their kingdom would be restored. Some Jews had already tried to restore this kingdom through revolutionary violence. As Jesus’ ministry flourishes, people look to Jesus to see what kind of revolution He would lead. In response, Jesus gives His famous Sermon on the Mount that includes the Beatitudes examined in this chapter. (If you want an idea of what a violent Jewish revolution looks like, see 1 Maccabees 3:15-26. Read 1 Maccabees 1-3 for even more background). STEP 1: READ Matthew 5:1-12 Ask the student to consider the question "what is a Beatitude"? while you read. The word “beatitude” means “blessing.” These blessings not only give us an example to follow; they would have also been good news to the downtrodden Jews held captive under Roman occupation. Discuss with the student: What do you perceive by each Beatitude listed in the passage? Taking the historical context into account, what do you see what would be shocking about Jesus' message to the Jews? What about to us today? What is it about Jesus' revolution that could make it more effective than others? 2 Confirmation Mentor guide Habit 5: Beatitudes Then share some of the below commentary on just some of the Beatitudes: Humility The Beatitudes build off one another, beginning with poor in spirit, or humility. Many theologians throughout the history of the Church have pointed to humility as the starting point in our relationship with God. Humility leads us to see that we cannot do everything on our own—we need God, His salvation and grace, to truly live. Meekness The blessing of meekness stands out because meekness is often seen as weakness. True meekness is not weakness but control over anger, especially during trials. In fact, Jesus Himself says, “Lo, I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). By examining the Beatitudes, we realize that they are not just an ethical treatise on how we should behave but a reflection of Jesus’ own character. For instance, Jesus shows great meekness during His suffering and death. He could have stopped His torture at any moment and given His persecutors what they deserved. Yet, His meekness allows Him to provide salvation for the world (see 1 Peter 2:23). Meekness can help us defend the faith (1 Peter 3:15-16), control our speech (James 1:19- 20), and corral our anger (Ephesians 4:26-32). Mercy Being merciful is essential in our outreach to others. An unfortunate part of our coming to Jesus Christ is that we can often become prideful and judgmental of others. Rather, we should be merciful as our Father is merciful (Luke 6:36). This was the chosen theme for the Catholic Church's Jubilee year, and was celebrated by the multitudes during World Youth Day 2016! Purity of Heart Even while doing “religious things,” we can end up doing them doing them out of pride (see Matthew 6:2-6). “Man sees the appearance; the Lord sees the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Purifying our intentions helps us to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ for all the right reasons. 3 Confirmation Mentor guide Habit 5: Beatitudes STEP 2: READ Matthew 5:13-16 Discuss with the student: What do you suppose Jesus meant by these analogies? In your opinion, what is a “community of virtue”? (You may choose to share some of the below commentary on the passage): Community of Virtue (Matthew 5:13-16) Jesus uses the example of salt and light to show how members of a community can influence others through their example. Salt is a natural product known to all in the crowd listening to Him. Salt was used to flavor food. It would eventually lose its flavor; if so, it would be used on the ground to prevent slipping. Jesus seems to use salt as an analogy for influencing or seasoning others with our character. Jesus also uses the analogy of light. Originally, God made His covenant with Israel so that the people of Israel could follow God’s law and be a light to the nations around them (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus is reminding the Jews of this concept and that their own faith and character is not just for themselves; it is an example that naturally invites others to want to know more about the God they follow (Isaiah 49:6). STEP 3: JOURNALING Activity Take a few minutes to collect your thoughts before writing your responses to the below prompts. You may refer to the Bible passages if need be. 1) The Beatitudes begin with the beatitude of humility, or poor in spirit. Why do you think humility is first? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2) Matthew 11:29 says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." How does Jesus demonstrate meekness during His life? How can we practice meekness? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4 Confirmation Mentor guide Habit 5: Beatitudes ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3) We have all gone to a store and become angry with the behavior of the staff, occasionally causing us to never return to the store. As members of a community, why should we be concerned about our character? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4) How do we improve our characters and imitation of Jesus? How can we help each other improve? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5) Think of a role model who strives to imitate Jesus daily. Who can hold you accountable to push you to develop a Christ-centered character? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Pick several questions to discuss with the student (or have them choose) once they have completed the exercise. 5 Confirmation Mentor guide Habit 5: Beatitudes Fill In The Holes: Practicing the Beatitudes and imitating the character of Jesus Christ do not happen overnight. Slowly, through the power of virtue, we can develop a Christ-centered character. Virtue occurs when our disposition is naturally inclined