The Beatitudes: When Mountain Meets Valley

by Ron Dart

The contemplative tradition within the West tends to define the spiritual journey in three purgative, illuminative, and unitive. This classification tends to ignore the fact that the contemplative journey has substantial political, social, and economic implications as well. Many modern mystics have recognized this failing in understanding and defining the contemplative pilgrimage. That is why a fourth stage has been transformative. It seems to me that the Beatitudes embody all four purgative, illuminative, unitive, and transformative. This makes perfect sense, of course, Jesus understood the waymarks of the mature and integrated faith journey, and the Beatitudes best embody such a path between peak and valley.

This missive is a brief refection and commentary on the rip-rap steps that make up the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes can tell us much about the deeper meaning of the time-tried path to the eternal peak. They can also ensure that we do not lose our footing as we traverse the slopes where mountain and valley meet.

105 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2022

Reviews

[Spring]

This is my professor's book and it was required for the course. It is actually a fantastic book and I truly enjoyed it. Dart has some important messages in the short little piece that many would find applicable to daily life.

[Jeremy]

a bit dated but still pretty helpful!