By Andrea Picciotti-Bayer
Father Jacques Philippe has authored yet another insightful book on faith and the interior life — this time addressing the mystery of the beatitudes. The Eight Doors of the Kingdom: Meditations on the Beatitudes opens for readers each of the “doors” to everlasting happiness Christ promised in his preaching on the blessings listed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in St. Matthew’s Gospel.
Father Philippe is an incredibly engaging author and preacher, and his books, such asSearching for and Maintaining Peace, are widely acclaimed as offering profound, yet accessible, reflections for modern readers.
In the introduction to this new gem, a clear explanation as to why — out of all of the possible dimensions of Christianity to address — he chose to comment on one of the most paradoxical passages of the Gospel is presented. Earnestly concerned, he observes:
“Today’s world is sick with pride.” In contrast, the beatitudes form “a complete treatise on the spiritual life,” one that “encompasses all the novelty of the Gospel, all its wisdom and its power to transform profoundly the hearts of men and renew the world.”
