Listen to Fr. John Dardis, SJ, as he explores the transformative power of the Beatitudes and the “frontier” within each of us—the call to embrace Christ’s radical way of love, humility, and mercy. In this inspiring talk, he unpacks the deeper meaning of Jesus’ teachings and how choosing His path leads to true freedom and joy. Whether you’re seeking spiritual growth or a fresh perspective on the Gospel, this message will challenge and uplift you.
I want to talk about Jesuits at the frontiers.
We often hear about what Jesuits and their mission partners are doing in places like Myanmar, Syria, Lebanon, and various places around the world. And I think it’s really inspiring.
But there’s a very, very foundational frontier that I want to focus on today. And I want to explain that to you now.
Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” I want to explore that a bit. How does that work? How does that happen?
I’m doing this by way of the Beatitudes. And I’m going to say that today there are competing Beatitudes.
There are the Beatitudes that are prevalent in so much of our culture: Blessed are the rich, blessed are the powerful, blessed are those who stand up and show they won’t be downtrodden. Blessed are those who take revenge. A kind of distorted meaning of “blessed.” And at times, we know it doesn’t work—but we kind of get infected by that.
You see it in the wars that are happening today, in the economic oppression of so many poor people, and in the lack of compassion for migrants and refugees. You see it in the lack of forgiveness for people who’ve been in prison, who’ve committed crimes. There’s this idea that you don’t get a second chance. It’s terrible. But it’s there. And it can leech into our souls and deprive us of energy, and joy, and love.
And then there are, obviously, the Beatitudes of Jesus: Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are those who forgive. Blessed are those who seek justice with all their heart and with all their passion. Blessed are those who are prepared to sacrifice in order to live lives of love. That’s Jesus’s way.
Those of you familiar with the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius will recognize the “Two Standards” here. This is the fight we’re in today. And it’s more obvious than ever that this is the frontier. This is where the battle is. It is incredibly important that we know this is going on.
We also know that through advertising, through the news, through examples that are put before us, we can be a little bit infected by the first set of so-called Beatitudes. That’s why we need the Christian community. That’s one of the reasons it makes sense to belong to the Church.
We need people like us who want to live this life like Jesus—who want to be merciful, kind, forgiving—so that when we get tempted by all those other so-called Beatitudes, we can stand firm. We can support each other. We can help each other out.
I don’t know where you are as you watch this video—where you are in your life, what age you are. Maybe you’re a young student. Maybe you’re a retired person. Maybe you’re watching this in Africa, or Asia, or Europe, or the States. I don’t know any of that. But I just know this is fundamental for the human condition today.
If we want to be a human race in solidarity with the weakest people, a human race that has respect for the planet, that watches people flourish, that wants people to flourish—then we need to be aware that this is the call. This is the frontier we’re on almost every day. And we are called.
Most of us really want to be over here with Jesus, with the Christian community. Or, if you’re not a Christian, we want to be over here with people who desire to be authentically human. We do. But we must recognize—yes, there are forces pushing us in the other direction, appealing to our worst instincts.
So this is going on: this fight, this conflict, this polarity. And what I say to you today is—listen to your deepest self. Because it will call you over here. Listen to friends you trust and to people you admire—they’ll call you over there.
Take time to grow, to change. Methods can include the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, if you’re a Christian. But in so many of our faith traditions, there’s an emphasis on becoming this kind of person—the person who chooses love, mercy, and justice.
And that’s the way you’ll have life to the full. That’s the way you’ll fulfill your own humanity and the promise that you have inside yourself.
I do want to make one final point.
Religious life today is so much needed—to be people who can witness to this way of Jesus, who can give everything to love others and serve others. This witness is needed more than ever.
People sometimes doubt the identity or the validity of religious life today. Have no doubt. It is so important. It is such a big gift to the Church and to the world.