On the feast of All Saints, we will hear Jesus proclaim “The Beatitudes.” This may lead us to his idea of a saint.

Let us look.

First, a “beatitude” is a spoken declaration of the blessedness of a person. Blessedness, in plain words, means to be given a spiritual benefit, as for instance, “May the Lord bless you with a safe journey.” Or, “Blessed are those who show mercy.” Often there is a condition involved: “The people who keep the law will be blessed" (Proverbs 29:18).

Jesus did not invent beatitudes: the First Testament has up to 50 examples of them. By Jesus’ day, people would have recognized one when it was spoken and would have been at home with it. Jesus gave nine of them in the Sermon on the Mount.

(a) The first four seem to name bad things and call them good. Blessed are the poor, the mourners, the meek, the hungry and thirsty. Jesus seems to be saying that “it is a blessing to be weak and unhappy.”

Why use the beatitude form in this way?

Because he is radically innovative. Radical [from the Latin radix, root] means that he is rooted deeply in God, who is the profound wellspring of life and love, not in some other place nearer the surface. These first four beatitudes are actually assurances to people who suffer—the displaced, the abandoned. Jesus is saying that they too are blessed and much loved by God.

(b) The next three more resemble the ancient form: Blessed are the merciful, the clean of heart, and the peacemakers. These three sound reasonable, if a bit bland. But actually they are a spiritual step upwards from the first four. They are encouragements to people who want to take action in the world on behalf of the Kingdom. Their blessedness consists of being at work with Jesus as a companion.

(c) Then come the last two, which are stunning: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” And, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you. … ” These sound like curses, not blessings. Who could want them? Yet they too are an enhancement of what precedes them. They presume that you might actually want to participate in Jesus’ ultimate act of love, a love which cuts through false honor, wealth, and pride. Maybe you will be called to take up the cross with Jesus. Such radical love is blessed because it comes from being so close to God, whose very identity is love.

So we find at least three stages of ascent in the following of Jesus: (1) suffering, (2) working for others, and (3) persecution endured as a result. The saints are examples in each of these areas because of their love for God and others. This is the very root of happiness, or “blessedness.”

The question for you and me is whether we even begin to be attracted in any way to such categories. We can take a review of our lives and get an idea. If we do not fit into them, we can meditate on this question: how strong is our desire for anything at all? Can we “desire to desire” regarding an openness to Jesus and to his Father? We do not have to want persecution yet, but what do we want?

Maybe it is simple: the blessedness he speaks about.