Q & R: Can you explain the beatitudes?

November 25, 2025

A friend sent me this question:

Just read today’s CAC Daily Meditation and appreciated your thoughts about gratitude. Noting the reference to the Beatitudes, I’m wondering about your suggestions for your books, or other writing, that might help me understand them? The Daily Mediation pulls from your book “Naked Spirituality.”

I struggle with seeing the ‘blessed’ part. Especially on the hard days – when the Feds block big things I work on (and many other insanities they perpetrate), or when good people I love struggle with big things.

Thanks for your question! I’ve written about the beatitudes in several of my books, along with Naked Spirituality, especially The Secret Message of Jesus and We Make the Road by Walking.

Here, I think, is the key to the beatitudes.

Rather than interpreting them as “God blesses these people” –

Think: this is performative, like performing a wedding and saying, “I now pronounce you legally married,” or “We pledge allegiance …” The saying of the words performs the action.

To bless is to speak highly of, to praise the goodness and value of.

The point is … WE bless these people, here and now. We say they have worth and value. We say their lives matter. We say they count. We say they are important.

So …

The empire works hard to make the rich happy, but we value the poor and work on their behalf.

The empire builds monuments to those who kill and dominate, but we honor those who mourn those who have been killed.

The empire praises the aggressive and arrogant, but we hold the meek and gentle in highest honor.

The empire rewards those who hunger and thirst for wealth and power for themselves, but we raise a toast to honor those who hunger and thirst for justice for all.

The empire makes heroes of the tough and merciless, but we speak up to celebrate the gracious and merciful.

The empire admires those who are clever and deceitful to get what they want, but we admire those who are authentic, sincere, and genuine.

The empire holds in highest regard those who make war, but we revere those who make peace.

The empire tips their hats to those who persecute their opponents, but we show highest respect those who are persecuted for their justice-seeking work.

Hope that helps!

By the way … you are one of the people I bless!