The Beatitudes of the Spiritual Life

"The French author l'Abbè Tanqueray offers an explanation of the beatitudes in relation to the spiritual life in his text The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology."

From One Peter Five

By Michael Haynes

The great feast of All Saints offers us the chance to dwell on two striking passages from Sacred Scripture: the Epistle being taken from the Apocalypse, and the Gospel of the sermon on the mount, regarding the beatitudes.

The Church calls on Her members in the Church Militant to set aside this particular day to honor all those souls who have attained the crown of glory but are yet unknown to us by name. It is also a day on which to dwell on the goal of all men, namely, to attain Heaven. 

The French author Abbè Tanqueray offers an explanation of the beatitudes in relation to the spiritual life in his text The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. The great spiritual writers and doctors of the Church denote three specific stages or degrees in the spiritual life: the purgative, illuminative and unitive. These are not three contradictory or even different ways, but merely stages of progression in the same spiritual life.

Tanqueray also points to these and notes which beatitudes are proper to each stage in the spiritual life. He thus bases these three stages upon the beatitudes as a guide for all souls who wish to advance in the spiritual life and achieve the prize which Christ offers. 

Whilst the text below is not devoted to an explanation of the three ways, it is nevertheless particularly useful to avail ourselves of Tanqueray’s words regarding the beatitudes, since they are originally presented as a guide to holiness.

Purgative Way

He states that the first three beatitudes relate to the purgative way, or way of beginners. This way is described as being akin to a spiritual childhood, which is the necessary preparation for any advancement in the spiritual life. It is focused on purification of oneself and mortification in order to subdue our passions and desires. Such a purification entails that we purify the senses, the passions, the will and intellect. This is effected by further mortifications and prayer, for all means must be made use of in order to purge the soul from its attachment to sin and to strengthen it against temptations.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”: this beatitude calls us to be poor in all manner of riches or honor, and instead seek only God Who is the greatest treasure of all. It even counsels us about how to be desirous of great virtue, in case one begins to seek virtue out of a form of spiritual pride. Instead, Catholics are counseled to humbly resign ourselves to seeking the level of perfection which God has ordained, firm in the knowledge that any pursuit of perfection will entail great hardship. 

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land”: here Catholics are called to practice a spiritual meekness, to control desires and outbursts of selfish passions and to unite one’s soul to the meek and humble heart of Christ.

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted”: it is better to suffer the ills of the world and endure these sorrows for the love of God, than to be filled with the joys and comforts of the world. The spiritual life is marked by suffering, both through personal mortification and through abnegation of the world. It is this persecution from the world which Christ warned of: “the servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”(John 15:20)

Illuminative Way

Moving forward, Fr. Tanqueray says the next two beatitudes denote the illuminative way. The souls in the illuminative way, having gained mastery of the passions, seek to practice the virtues more fully, in order to imitate Christ. The prayers and virtues which they practice are clearly those which stem from a deeper union with God.

“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill”: justice demands that man give to God the honor which is properly His due, hence those who are filled with the desire for justice are called to love God for His own sake more perfectly.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy”: the Fathers of the Church teach that justice and mercy must always be united, that man should forgive his fellow man, just as God pardons the repentant sinner.

Unitive Way

Fr. Tanqueray then uses the final three beatitudes with particular reference to the unitive way, the highest degree of perfection. It is a way of contemplation, eminent charity and the practice of virtue to a heroic degree.

“Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God”: the temple of God cannot be impure, and only the clean of heart are those who can see God, for they have proved themselves worthy despite the temptations of life.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God”: it is the peacemakers who have subdued all earthly desires and made themselves into the dwelling place of God, since God moves in peace and order.

“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”: just as Christ suffered death, taking on Himself the sins of man, so we are called to suffer likewise.

This feast of All Saints presents the Church with the opportunity to properly dwell on this exposition of the beatitudes as they pertain to the spiritual life, for today the Church honors all saints, but especially those unknown souls who practiced these very beatitudes and virtues to a saintly degree. The Church’s liturgy offers this Gospel for such a reason, providing Her children with the prompts on how to attain Heaven whilst pointing them to the intercession of those who have already done so. 

In fact, the feast of All Saints represents in a special manner the true Catholicity of the Church. That is to say, that often the path to sainthood can seem untenable, and reserved only for the great saints, whom are well known and loved, and serve as models of heroic virtue. Yet, on this day, Catholics are called to contemplate the fact that Christ calls all, has given the means to answer to this call, and assists countless souls to do so. The path to sanctity is not reserved for a special few, but is offered to all.

It should be a feast day of great pomp and circumstance, but also of great hope – hope because Catholics can call upon the many unknown saints in Heaven to be our guide on the path to sanctity. Those men and women who were perhaps ‘normal’ in the eyes of the world – and possibly even in the daily life of the Church –cultivated the practice of the virtues and the beatitudes to a high degree. These can be our guides and intercessors and exemplars. 

The very first lessons of manyCatechisms present the answer to the question of why God made us. He did so out of pure love and “to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next” (Baltimore Catechism). The language seems somewhat simplistic, but it captures the essence of the call to perfection, which the saints grasped so well. 

The more we know God, the more we love Him, and the greater our love for Him then the more we will wish to follow Him in all things. This love is manifested by serving Him in our daily actions and prayers, which will ultimately lead to being united with God in heavenly beatitude should we remain faithful to Him. This is our final end, the goal which must be ever present in our mind throughout our life, orienting our choices so that we may one day achieve union with the Divine.

Consequently, this great feast of All Saints is an occasion for Catholics everywhere to renew the practice of the virtues and to take the beatitudes especially to heart, emulating the saints, both known and unknown.