others say in the virtues of the contemplative life, namely, of divine and intelligible things, as Aristotle.
All those opinions are false, although not in the same way. Hence, the Lord rejects all of them.
He rejects the opinion of those who said that it consists in an abundance of external goods; hence he says, Blessed are the poor in spirit , i.e., the affluent are not blessed.
He rejects the opinion putting happiness in the satisfaction of appetite, when he says, Blessed are the merciful . But it should be known that in man are three appetites:
the irascible, which seeks revenge against enemies; this he rejects when he says, Blessed are the meek ;
the concupiscible, whose good is to be joyful and gratified; he rejects this when he says, Blessed are those who mourn ;
the will, which is twofold accordingly as it seeks two things: first, that it not be coerced by a higher law; secondly, that it be able to bind others as subjects; hence it desires to rule and not be subject. But the Lord shows the opposite of both.
In regard to the first he says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice .
As to the second, Blessed are the merciful . Therefore, they err who place happiness either in an abundance of external goods or in the satisfaction of appetite.
But those who place happiness in the acts of the active life, namely, moral acts, also err, but less so, because that is the road to happiness. Hence, the Lord does not reject them as evil, but shows that they are directed to happiness; because they are directed either to the self, as temperance and the like, and their end is a clean heart, because they make one overcome the passions. Or they are directed to another, and then their end is peace and so on, for peace is the work of justice. Consequently, those virtues are roads to happiness and not happiness itself; and this is Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God . He does not say, "They see," because this would be happiness itself. Again, Blessed are the peacemakers , not because they are peacemakers, but because they tend toward something else, for they shall be called sons of God .
But the opinion of those who say that happiness consists in contemplation of divine things the Lord rejects, as far as the time is concerned; because otherwise it is true, for the ultimate felicity consists in the vision of the best intelligible, namely, of God. Hence, he says, they shall see . It should be noted, according to the Philosopher, that in order for contemplative acts to make one happy, two things are required: the one substantially, namely, that it be the act concerned with the supreme intelligible, which is God; the other formally, namely, love and delight. For delight perfects happiness as beauty does youth. Therefore, the Lord presents two:
they shall see God and
they shall be called sons of God . For this pertains to the union of love: "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called and be children of God" (1 Jn 3:1).
There should also be noted something in regard to merit in general and something in regard to reward in general. In regard to merit: that the Philosopher distinguishes two genera of virtues: one is common and perfects man in a human way; the other is special, which he calls heroic and perfects man in a superhuman way. For when a brave man fears where there should be fear, it is a virtue; but if he were not to fear, it would be a vice. But if he feared in no case, because he had confidence in God, that virtue would be superhuman; and those virtues are called divine. Therefore, those actions are perfect; and virtue, according to the Philosopher, leads to perfect action. Consequently, those merits are either actions of the gifts or acts of the virtues, in so far as they are made perfect by the gifts.
Note also that the acts of the virtues are the ones about which the law commands. But things meriting happiness are the acts of the virtues. Therefore, all things commanded and contained below are referred to those happinesses. Consequently, As Moses first set forth commands and later said many things, all of which were referred to the commands set forth; so Christ in his doctrine first set forth those beatitudes, to which all other things are referred. In regard to the reward it should be noted that God is the reward of those who serve him: "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore, will I hope in him" (Lam 3:24); "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup" (Ps 16:5); "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess" (Gen 15:7). And as Augustine says in Confessions II: "My soul departs from you, it seeks good things outside of you." But men seek various things; yet whatever can be found in any life, the Lord promised all in God.
For some place as the supreme good an abundance of wealth, through which they can reach the loftiest dignity. The Lord promises a kingdom which includes both; but he says that one reaches this kingdom by the power of poverty, not of riches. Hence Blessed are the poor .
Others reach those honors through wars; but the Lord says, Blessed are the meek .
Others seek consolations through pleasures; the Lord says, Blessed are those who mourn .
Some are not willing to be made subject; but the Lord says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice .
Some wish to avoid evil by oppressing those under them; the Lord says, Blessed are the merciful . Some put the vision of God in the contemplation of truth in this life, but the Lord promises it in the future life; hence Blessed are the clean of heart .
It should also be noted that those rewards which the Lord mentions here can be possessed in two ways, namely, perfectly and consummately, and thus in heaven only or inchoately and imperfectly, and thus in this life. Hence, the saints have the beginning of that happiness. And because they cannot be explained as they will be in heaven, Augustine explains them as they are in this life. Blessed , therefore, are the poor in spirit , not in hope only, but also in reality: "The kingdom of heaven is within you" (Lk 17:21). With this as an introduction, let us proceed to the text.
In the beatitudes the evangelist does two things: first, the beatitudes are presented; secondly, the manifestation of these beatitudes: Blessed are those who are persecuted for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ; for this is expressive of all the beatitudes. But virtue does three things: it removes from evil, does and makes one do good, and disposes one toward the best.
First, therefore, he deals with the first (v. 3); secondly, with the second (v. 6); thirdly, with the third (v. 8). Furthermore, virtue removes one from three evils: covetousness, cruelty or unrest, and harmful pleasures.
The first is noted in v. 3; the second in v. 7, the third in v. 4.
(3) He says, therefore, Blessed are the poor , i.e., the humble, who regard themselves as poor; for they are truly humble who regard themselves as poor not only in external, but also in internal things: "I am poor and needy" (Ps 40:17), contrary to Rev (3:17): "You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." The in spirit can be understood in three ways.