Review: The Eight Promises of God
When I was a younger Christian, I tended to skip over the Beatitudes because they were so basic. I was eager to move on into the weightier realms of theology. “Yeah, yeah… blessed are the peacemakers. Got it. Now, can we get on to some Aquinas?” The Beatitudes were baby stuff, memorized by 2nd graders in preparation for First Communion, right? I wanted to get to the complicated stuff.
Looking back, I see how arrogant I was! The older I get, the more I have learned to love and value the Beatitudes. If the Beatitudes seem basic, they are deceptively basic. The reason children memorize them is that they are so fundamental—the way a foundation is essential to a house. Just as any builder who rushed past laying the foundation would be a shoddy builder, we are shoddy Christians if we ignore the Beatitudes. I have since spent many years unpacking the Beatitudes, meditating on them, and trying to live them. I now see why the Catechism says they are at the heart of Jesus’s preaching (CCC 1716). Today, when friends come to me looking for spiritual guidance, I almost always take them back to the Beatitudes.
Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
I was, therefore, especially thrilled when Ascension Press asked me to review Fr. Mark-Mary Ames’ new book on the Beatitudes, The Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes. Fr. Ames is a religious of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal who has also discovered the power of the Beatitudes. Appropriate for adults or teens, Fr. Ames’ book is essentially a practical exegesis on the Beatitudes. It begins with a section on the concept of Beatitude in general and then moves on to discuss each of the Beatitudes in particular.
Spiritual books are a dime a dozen, and I’ve read a lot of pop-spirituality books that are mediocre at best. Just a few pages into The Eight Promises of God, it became clear that Fr. Ames’ book is not the standard fare. The writing is exceptionally well-done, striking the right balance between accessibility and depth. He clearly has spent years pondering the subject, and his reflections on the Beatitudes reveal a spiritual richness that only comes with living them day in and day out. The quality of writing and level of spiritual insight I found in Fr. Ames’ book were definitely above average for this genre.
The Beatitudes as Promises
I particularly appreciate how Fr. Ames (rightly) frames the Beatitudes as promises. Too often, we think of the Beatitudes as statements of fact: “Blessed are the poor,” “Blessed are the peacemakers,” etc. We tend to forget that each Beatitude has a second clause that points not to what is, but what shall be. “Blessed are they who are merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The Beatitudes each reference a future fulfillment God has pledged to those who imitate Jesus in this life. They are, therefore, promises of blessing to come.
The word beatitude means “blessed.” The Beatitudes are blessings that God promises as the fulfillment of life lived in Christ and thus relate to the virtue of hope, the virtue whereby confidence in future blessedness gives us strength to persevere today. This is why Fr. Ames’ book is subtitled Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes.
Another recurring theme of the book is Jesus as the measure of our lives. We often feel disappointed by the trials we face and the good things we miss out on. Fr. Ames reminds us that the Beatitudes require us to use Jesus Christ as the measure of our lives constantly. Often, our disillusionment comes from faulty expectations; we wish to profess the faith of Jesus while not conforming our lives to Jesus. We ought to conform our lives—and expectations—to the life of Jesus Christ. This is where blessedness is found.
Structure of the Book
After two introductory chapters on the concept of Beatitude and understanding them as promises, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames presents an exegesis on each particular Beatitude spread across eight chapters. Each chapter generally follows a similar pattern: Fr. Ames begins with some anecdotes from his life as a friar, tying his experiences into the specific Beatitude in question. I found these reminiscences extremely interesting and helpful. This is followed by a segue into a discussion of the Beatitude proper, with scriptural exegesis and spiritual commentary. I again want to stress Fr. Ames’ very rich but accessible commentary.
If many pop-spirituality books are too milquetoast, the classic spiritual works, by contrast, can often be too elevated and cerebral for average readers. The spiritual commentary of Fr. Ames is simple enough for the novice but profound enough for the more advanced. It has something for everybody.
Fr. Ames also includes sections illustrating how our Lord lived each Beatitude, as well as how they are exemplified in the life of Our Lady. As Mary is supremely blessed—”Blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:42)—it is supremely fitting to demonstrate how the Beatitudes are manifest in her life.
A Reliable Guide to the Beatitudes
In conclusion, I give Fr. Mark-Mary Ames’ book The Eight Promises of God a hearty recommendation. I would especially recommend this book to those who want to get more serious about living the Christian life but may have trouble understanding how the Beatitudes can become actionable in daily life. As Fr. Ames points out in the book, a lot of people (even clergy) simply “don’t get” the Beatitudes, at least in terms of how they are supposed to help us in difficult times. This book is a reliable guide for anyone who wants to dig into the Beatitudes and truly understand why the Catechism calls them the heart of Jesus’s message.
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