The Beatitudes

Beatitude is blessedness; felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss; used of the joys of heaven. The declarations of blessedness made by our Savior to particular virtues.–Webster’s American Dictionary
  Beatitude is supreme blessedness or happiness.–American Heritage Dictionary
  The Beatitudes are the declarations of blessedness that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. They are attitudes toward life, and set a keynote of gentle, good manners in the world. The Beatitudes are laws of being,rooted in the principle of nonresistance. The Beatitudes are also laws of doing, and you must do as they instruct. You do the Beatitudes until you become the states of being they describe.

Edna Lister on the Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus intended to be the basis of our daily living.–Edna Lister, Beatitudes, January 29, 1933

“Blessed are the poor in possessions, for theirs is all the kingdom of heaven.” When all you have belongs to God, and you use it gratefully, leaving it fast in His heart, when you know that the abundant wealth of God is yours to draw upon, when you accept that all the Father has is yours to use–then you shall have added things. Every desire of your heart shall be appeased. This does not work for you at once if you accept it only halfheartedly. “According to my faith” is my idea of what this law will do for me now. If I think it does only two dollars’ worth, then I will have that now. If I really know that it means abundant wealth for me now, then I can draw on that abundant idea of wealth. It is so simple to say yet so hard to achieve.

Beatitudes are nine attitudes to express to be as Christ.–Edna Lister, Beatitudes, January 19, 1935

The Beatitudes explain the "why," "where" and "how" of the laws of life.–Edna Lister, Be-Attitudes, June 19, 1951

The Beatitudes are nine lesser mysteries, from one, the individual, to "nine, the Brotherhood of Man under God. They deal with attitudes you assume as your outlook on the world, nine ways to see your own personal world. We all must play the game of life, and the Beatitudes illustrate nine ways to play. You choose what character you want, your role. Without choosing, you live in a drab three-dimensional world, only one step up from being a creature. The be-attitudes set a conduct pattern of gentle manners, a fitting way of life, your expression of God.–Edna Lister, As I See the World, June 15, 1958

The Beatitudes are how you express the Love principles as you serve humanity, and how you worship God as personality. The Beatitudes form a code of being in harmony with your fellow man. Anyone can agree with God and adjust to his fellow man by obeying the laws found in them. Yet no code is any good unless you act on it. You must be at it.–Edna Lister, As the World Sees Me, June 22, 1958

The Bible is the revelation of Light. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) are the Bible’s chief revelations. The Commandments teach obedience; the Beatitudes teach you how to become. To overcome, to conquer and ascend, you must obey the Wisdom principles of the Commandments, and become the Love principles of the Beatitudes.–Edna Lister, Ten Commandments and Beatitudes, November 4, 1958

The Beatitudes are part of the law of Love that Jesus the Christ revealed. We call them be-attitudes, or attitudes of being. As laws of right being, they teach us how to become under the Love ray. Beatitudes deal with Love principles like faith, hope and charity.–Edna Lister, Ten Commandments and Beatitudes, November 4, 1958

The Beatitudes are your basis for how to live. They teach how to live in eternity now–not in the future, not in the past, but now.–Edna Lister, The 33 Degrees of Soul Conquering, November 3, 1959

At the point of emotional conquering, the Beatitudes enter, offering a new attitude toward a situation.–Edna Lister, The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, April 21, 1964

The fifteen lesser mysteries deal with our relationships upon earth, as governed by the Commandments and Beatitudes. The first nine lesser mysteries are contained in the nine Be-attitudes toward the outer world. The Beatitudes deal with personality, but are laws modified from principle.–Edna Lister, The First Seven Magnitudes, November 8, 1966

Your attitude is what the world sees as your expression of Light. You impose your attitude on people, which is all they can see of you, the tip of an iceberg, while the rest of you is invisible.–Edna Lister, Do You Follow Your Path of Destiny, December 4, 1966

The Beatitudes (The Laws of Attitude)

Edna Lister
June 15, 1958

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.–Matthew 5:3. Poor in spirit has nothing to do with poverty, but pride in possession of things or people. Happy is the soul who is poor or freed of the dark hole from which Light had to blast him.
  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.–Matthew 5:4. Happy is the soul who steps from self-pitying shadows into the Light on the Mount of Transfiguration. Your personality makes you mourn. Give up possession of self, and let the Light of life possess you. When desire mates with will, you are freed from mourning.
  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.–Matthew 5:5. Meekness isn’t passively letting others rule you, but nonresistance, the most actively aggressive power in the world. The Master’s nonresistance permeates the world today.
  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.–Matthew 5:6. Righteousness is your highest point of soul vision. When your devotion reaches its zenith of expression, you hunger and thirst for God.
  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.–Matthew 5:7. Mercy is an aspect of divine Mother Love. To grant mercy is to give another the benefit of the doubt, to forget your revenge ideas. Where you have the power to hurt, you are too gracious, too generous, too loving to pay attention to the offense.
  Ignoring the chronic offender leaves him in frustration. He can see and feel how jealousy, envy and sharp words affect his past quarry. It spoils his game, which is no fun when you don’t squirm. To wipe out the offense, you are simply too great in soul, and withhold judgment to cover the transgressions of others. To love your enemies, you must be willing to forgive them seventy times seven in one day. This is the metaphysical interpretation of how to obtain mercy. God sends as you give.
  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.–Matthew 5:8. As you purify your heart and emotions, you become purity of mind and heart. The keynote is honor above all. You must see God everywhere, in everything and everyone.
  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.–Matthew 5:9. A peacemaker is a pacemaker, who gives up self, and learns not to be annoyed. A peacemaker is responsible for lifting all around him, standing untouchable.
  Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.–Matthew 5:10. The keynote of persecution is I assume all blame for everything around me, for God’s sake.
  Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.–Matthew 5:11. Balanced Love and Wisdom are the keynotes. Wisdom as will holds itself to one point of consciousness, but only desire, sublimated into Love, will bring you into balance. Correlate every phase of life in balance with love, tie earth to heaven, and feel the interrelationship of all truth.

New Testament on the Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.–Matthew 5:3

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.–Matthew 5:4

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.–Matthew 5:5

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.–Matthew 5:6

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.–Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.–Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.–Matthew 5:9

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.–Matthew 5:10

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.–Matthew 5:11

Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.–Luke 1:45

Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.–Luke 6:20-23

Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.–Luke 7:23

Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.–Luke 11:28

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he [Christ] cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.–Luke 12:37

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