The beatitudes are qualities of God, that is, perfections: "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect", Matthew 5:48. The beatitudes are also a description of the Kingdom of God, to each beatitude there is a spiritual gift and a prize, a return.
Thomas Aquinas associates the fourth beatitude announced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled", Matthew 5:6; to the spiritual gift of fortitude.
The virtue of fortitude orders man to the desire for happiness, but the spiritual gift of fortitude orders us to the fullness of the spiritual goods, that is: eternal life, sanctity and the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
The spiritual gift of fortitude is one of the seven spiritual gifts of the holy spirit, is the virtue of fortitude perfected by progressive thinking (spiritual gift of knowledge), in other terms the spiritual gift of fortitude is continuous improvement.
This beatitude responds to the spiritual gift of fortitude because the hunger and the thirst for righteousness impel us to the effort and constant improvement. This spiritual gift consists of setting measurable and achievable goals over time, these goals must tend to improve, these goals should not be exaggerated, that is, many people when setting a plan of action, set a very big goal and suddenly. The spiritual gift does not work like that, the goals must be simple and with a specific time of fulfillment, a when. This spiritual gift is deeply linked to the motivation for excellence.
The hunger and thirst for righteousness is wanting and seeking the good of God. There is no more noble and excellent desire than to desire the righteousness of God. Improve ourselves and help others to improve, this is the essence of the beatitude.
Also Jesus tells us something else, the beatitudes are goals by themselves. The award of the fourth beatitude is his own fulfillment, that is, being satisfied with the most perfect good, the righteousness of God.
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