“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

            The word “beatitude” means “blessing.”  Jesus outlined a number of situations where He promised a blessing for the believer, especially during difficult circumstances.

            Jesus flipped the mentality of the world which believes that you must be powerful not poor, merciless not merciful, warmongers not peacemakers.  He wanted to say that God applauded these traits (purity, righteousness, persecution) and rewarded those who did the right thing even if the world disagreed.  Happiness can be found even in the most dire of circumstances.