"Jesus of Nazareth" Chapter Four

This is a beautiful chapter and I'm not going to comment on it other than to point out one of the most important statements in the book:

The Beatitudes are promises resplendent with the new image of the world and of man inaugurated by Jesus, his "transformation of values." They are eschatological promises. This must not, however, be taken to mean that the joy they proclaim is postponed until some infinitely remote future or applies exclusively to the next world. When man begins to see and to live from God's perspective, when he is a companion on Jesus' way, then he lives by new standards, and something of the eschaton, of the reality to come, is already present. Jesus brings joy into the midst of affliction. (Chapter 4, pages 71-71.)

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Pope Benedict does a wonderful job of explaining that Christ did not erase the need to follow the Ten Commandments and the basic law of God, and that the Beatitudes certainly were not meant as a "replacement." The Beatitudes are a map to health and joy on earth as also, with hope at achieving heaven. They are a map because they show how God perceives humans and the suffering that sin generates, and following the precepts of the Beatitudes together with the Commandments ensures greater joy for everyone even in a life of hardship. This is not too hard to figure out if you think about it... the more people who live obeying God's will for humankind, the less "human on human" sin and oppression occurs. Pope Benedict does a lovely job of shedding light on this understanding in this paragraph, and the rest of the chapter (which I'm still enjoying reading.)