Anyone who has tried to live the beatitudes will confirm that the task can be daunting. What does it mean to be a peacemaker? Do you really want to be reviled by others? If you're not rich compared to your immediate neighbors and friends, but you're rich compared to most of the world, what are you supposed to do about that? Father Raniero Cantalamessa will lead you not only to a deeper appreciation of these famous words of Jesus, but also into the presence of Jesus himself who lived them perfectly and who will give you the ability and enthusiasm to do the same. The beatitudes are not a burden to be shouldered but an invitation to a joy-filled life of surrender to the Lord who came not to be served, but to serve.
RANIERO CANTALAMESSA, O.F.M. Cap., is the preacher to the pontifical household. He is a former professor of the history of early Christianity, head of the department of religious studies at the Catholic University in Milan, member of the International Theological Commission and author of numerous books, including Sober Intoxication of the Spirit: Filled With the Fullness of God. He lives in Rome.
Paperback, 146 pages