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On this solemnity of All Saints, let us turn to the saints' reflections upon Christ's beatitudes. Blessed are…

... the poor in spirit: "Not even God can put anything in a heart that is already full" --Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

... they who mourn: "They who weep for their own sins are blessed" --St. Thomas Aquinas

.... the meek: "There is nothing as strong as true meekness; there is nothing as gentle as true strength" --St. Francis de Sales

.... they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: "First of all, we must be just towards God. Let this fact be firmly impressed in our hearts, so that it shows in our behavior, for it is the touchstone of the true 'hunger and thirst for justice'" --St. Josemaría Escrivá

.... the merciful: "If a soul does not exercise mercy in one way or another, it will not obtain [Christ's] mercy on the Day of Judgment" --St. Faustina Kowalska

.... the clean of heart: "The pure soul is a beautiful rose, and the Three Divine Persons descend from Heaven to inhale its fragrance" --St. John Vianney

.... the peacemakers: "Peace is not just the absence of war ... Like a cathedral, peace must be constructed patiently and with unshakable faith" --St. John Paul II

.... they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness: "This is the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. How, then, can it be said, that those believe in the Gospel who say: 'Blessed are those who have money; blessed are those who suffer nothing ... pitiable is the man that suffers persecution and ill-treatment from others'? ... Either they do not believe the Gospel, or ... they believe only a part of it" --St. Alphonsus Liguori.

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