The Apostolate of the Laity. Living the Beatitudes one day at a time. Our daily blessings.

The fundamental teachings of Jesus for obtaining the kingdom of God are the Beatitudes. These teachings form the cornerstone of the ideal Christian lifestyle and are unfortunately the ones that are least followed. The Sermon of the Mount is probably the best-known, but least-understood, and least-followed of all the teachings of Jesus. In spite of this Jesus says in the Beatitudes that as long as ordinary people stand for the right things and do not retreat in their rightness before those who seem to have more power, what’s right will prevail. The tree grows from the root above and not from the top downwards, consequently, the Beatitudes are presented this way by Jesus to humanity. A kingdom organized not from the top down, but from the bottom up, as a true apostolate of the laity! Unfortunately, with some honorable exceptions, the Beatitudes are not manifested or lived in the Catholic hierarchies, and that branch of the vine has withered. The author maintains that the Catholic laity is a great big hope for the Beatitudes to be lived and manifested in this suffering world, and invites us all to live these teachings daily to become active contributors to the well-being of a world in crisis.