Get Happy! The Beatitudes of Life for the Vocation of Wife and Mother - Conclusion

Kristen M. Soley

The Eighth Beatitude - Blessed are they that suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Merriam-Webster defines persecution as “The subjecting of a race or group of people to cruel or unfair treatment, e.g. because of their ethnic origin or religious beliefs.”  

There are so many great saints that suffered persecution for the sake of justice. Saint Perpetua suffered for the justice of Christ crucified. She would not deny her Christianity and for this, she was martyred by the gladiators in Carthage in the year 203. In the arena, she was first tortured by wild beasts, and ultimately gave up her life by the sword. Before she handed her life over to the gladiator, she encouraged Christians that would come after her, saying, “Stand fast in the faith and love one another; and do not let our sufferings be a stumbling block to you." 10

Reading her testament in The Passion of St. Perpetua is a great investment of time as it demonstrates absolute surrender, love, and faith!  

Living out this beatitude in the vocation of wife and mother is simple, but not always easy. We are called to live our faith, really live it, regardless of the company and situation in which we find ourselves. We cannot choose to follow Christ with part of our life. We must follow Him in all things and “do not be afraid” (MT 14:27) to let Him shine through us, regardless of how people might respond to His love.   

Jesus promised that "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18 NASB) Suffering persecution does not need to entail blood for it to hurt; this differentiates white martyrdom with red. We encounter white martyrdom when we are judged for the size of our family, or what we do in our spare time, and our position on biblical truths in everyday life, specifically related to marriage, life, and education. We can, however, be consoled, as there is no pain of mockery, judgment, rejection, humiliation, nor abandonment that Jesus did not endure. Give your trials to Jesus.  

Like the great saints, we can find beatitude in these persecutions. We are found worthy enough to help Jesus carry His cross, what a privilege.  

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." – Jim Elliot

In Conclusion

The vocation of wife and mother finds genuine happiness in serving others, for love of God, with the hope of eternal happiness. The Eight Beatitudes are our roadmap to achieving this happiness here on earth and we know that Jesus is the source of true beatitude.  

The Beatitudes "confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things." (CCC1728) With God’s grace and loving Him above all things, we can achieve union with Him, experiencing Heaven on earth. With confidence, we can ask the Blessed Mother to pray for us, to be more like her, the embodiment of each beatitude.

Again, we were created to know, love and serve God, that we may be happy with Him in Heaven. Let us be gospel poor, meek, mourn for souls separated from Christ through sin, share Jesus’ mercy, remain pure of heart, be peacemakers, and suffer for love of God for the sake of justice. With God’s grace, living out the beatitudes will help us to achieve this beatitude. It is what we were made for!

Now go, and get happy!

Sources –
1. Newadvent.org
2. Eight Happy People, Reverend John J. Ahern
3. Etymonline.com
4. http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/oct2000/feature1.asp#F1
5. http://www.copiosa.org/virtue/virtue_meekness.htm
6. Happy are you Poor, Dubay
7. Volume 6, Direction for Our Times – Anne the Lay Apostle
8. Courageous Virtue, Stacy Mitch (A Bible Study on Moral Excellence For Women)
9. Catholic.org
10. http://stperpetuaparish.org/perpetua.php
11. The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ – Luisa Piccaretta
12. Michele Szekely - http://www.leblogdelabergerie.com/articles/Catherines.htm  
  

Get Happy! The Beatitudes of Life for the Vocation of Wife and Mother - Part VII

Kristen M. Soley

Seventh Beatitude - Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

The "peacemakers" are those who not only live in peace with others but help to preserve peace and friendship among man and between God and man. They also help to restore.1 

St. Francis of Assisi was a happy and blessed man, who found his beatitude in peacemaking.2 Preaching peace was his war cry.

The Prayer of St. Francis is a perfect embodiment of peacemaking and a great guide to living out this beatitude in our vocation. 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace – May we be the source of grace and peace in our home. Even if there is chaos, with God’s grace, we can help set the tone of our home. We can lovingly guide and reprove, use gentle and forgiving words and show consistency in our presence. If we can remain calm in all situations, with God’s grace, we can be a constant and reliable source of peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love- In all things, choose love. Not only should we teach this to our children, but we should live this out. Set an example of unconditional love, even when it does not come easy. Encourage charity among the children and do not tolerate uncharitable behavior. Ask Mary and Jesus to love through us and that they fill the gap of love we fail to meet in our homes.

Where there is injury, pardon – Again, to be forgiven, we must forgive, as we are taught by Jesus, in the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are also taught in scripture the number of time we are to forgive, "…I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:22 NASB) Encourage our children to say, “I am sorry,” and “You are forgiven.”

The rest of the prayer runs:
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy; 

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

This would be worth hanging on the fridge as a constant reminder that we are called to be the channel of peace in our homes. And with God’s grace through time spent with Him in prayer, He can bring this peace into our homes. 

May we become the "peacemakers" who not only live in peace with others but help to preserve peace and friendship among man and between God and man; in our homes and wherever He may lead us. 1

Sources –
1. Newadvent.org
2. Eight Happy People, Reverend John J. Ahern
3. Etymonline.com
4. http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/oct2000/feature1.asp#F1
5. http://www.copiosa.org/virtue/virtue_meekness.htm
6. Happy are you Poor, Dubay
7. Volume 6, Direction for Our Times – Anne the Lay Apostle
8. Courageous Virtue, Stacy Mitch (A Bible Study on Moral Excellence For Women)
9. Catholic.org
10. http://stperpetuaparish.org/perpetua.php
11. The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ – Luisa Piccaretta
12. Michele Szekely - http://www.leblogdelabergerie.com/articles/Catherines.htm  
  

Get Happy! The Beatitudes of Life for the Vocation of Wife and Mother - Part VI

Kristen M. Soley

The Sixth Beatitude - Blessed are the pure of heart: for they shall see God.
Merriam-Webster defines pure as, “Not mixed with anything else.” Father Ahern explains that purity of heart lacks actual sin, and affords freedom from affection toward sin. When self-love and the seeking of personal pleasure are removed the passion of love, the human heart becomes crystal clear, 2 not mixed with anything else.   

He further explains:

“In marriage, a man or woman lives to serve and love the other, the spouse or the child. Love leaves no room for self-love, just simple devotion to members of the family. The more perfect this love and service the greater glory is given to God. The lover then sees God now and for eternity. In loving his spouse and children a man pure in heart is too busy loving and providing for his family to be attracted to sins of the flesh; there is no self-love or pleasure seeking in him; this is the first stage of purity of heart… Husband and wife love each other, and the love of each, given, completes the other. They see faults in their marriage partner, but instead of reproach, they simply give more love. Family life, social life, prayer life – each is patterned, geared, and has meaning through love of the spouse and children. As gift after gift of love is given, love of self is forgotten. Happiness is possessed, and purity of heart is found. A man is filled with love for his neighbor and God is glorified. The pure of body, mind, and intention are the happy, the blessed man and women.” 2

  
Possessing no self-love, St. Joseph served God, with a pure heart, by loving Mary, and Jesus and humbly submitting to God’s Will. After having found Mary to be with child, Joseph, “being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” (MT 1:18-19 NASB) Through the message of an angel, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” … And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

In the vocation of wife and mother, purity of heart is simply, humbly surrendering our will to the Will of God, purity of heart, mind and body. We need to seek all that is true, good, and beautiful not only for ourselves, but for our family. When we choose God’s Will over ours, we most assuredly can achieve beatitude. It is only when we are living outside of God’s Will that we introduce discord into our lives.

Begin each day with quiet, meditative prayer, alone with God. Begin by meditating on His Passion and then read a passage from the Gospels. Spend ten to fifteen minutes, quietly reflecting on what we have read. God will take this time to provide all the fruit required to aid is in living in His Will. We can then use the fruits He provides, or give them to those He asks, as we proceed through the rest of the day.

"Every virtue in your soul is a precious ornament which makes you dear to God and to man. But holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in Heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh."
~ St. John Bosco

Sources –
1. Newadvent.org
2. Eight Happy People, Reverend John J. Ahern
3. Etymonline.com
4. http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/oct2000/feature1.asp#F1
5. http://www.copiosa.org/virtue/virtue_meekness.htm
6. Happy are you Poor, Dubay
7. Volume 6, Direction for Our Times – Anne the Lay Apostle
8. Courageous Virtue, Stacy Mitch (A Bible Study on Moral Excellence For Women)
9. Catholic.org
10. http://stperpetuaparish.org/perpetua.php
11. The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ – Luisa Piccaretta
12. Michele Szekely - http://www.leblogdelabergerie.com/articles/Catherines.htm