The Ladder of the Beatitudes

Drawing on stories from the lives of the saints, scripture, and everyday life, Jim Forest opens the mysteries of the Beatitudes with which Christ began his Sermon on the Mount. Each Beatitude is explained as an aspect of our communion with God and, as Forest shows, each Beatitude leads to the next like an ascent of the rungs of a ladder. Appearing at the beginning of the New Testament, they provide a summary of all that follows including the crucifixion ("Blessed are you who are persecuted") and the resurrection ("Rejoice and be glad.")