‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…’ must be one of the most familiar hymns of all to church-goers and non-church goers alike. A 2022 web article from CBS news (here) claims that it is sung an estimated 10 million times a year. In it, John Newton expresses his deep gratitude to God for having saved him, almost certainly both physically (from a shipwreck) and spiritually, and highlights key elements of the nature of God’s grace towards him: undeserved salvation; spiritual guidance, (re)assurance and comfort;  hope for the future; and a life in eternity of singing God’s praise. 

In the retreat in which eight parishioners participated over a weekend in April at beautiful Launde Abbey, grace was the overarching theme proposed by Will Lamb as an underpinning concept by which the Beatitudes should be understood. In a similar vein to Newton, he defined it as ‘undeserved favour’, and our sessions looked at each individual Beatitude in turn. We were encouraged to conceptualise them not as a set of moral imperatives, but instead as exhortations to live in God’s grace. Not only so, but each can be understood to develop from and build on the previous one(s), hence the idea of a ladder became an important tool for our reflections. 

Its first step (“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”) begins with our need to recognise our own poverty of spirit, and hence a recognition of our need of God. Jesus presents us with an extraordinary assurance:  ours is the Kingdom of Heaven. Crucially, the grace to do this is given to us; we can’t earn it. 
The next step, (“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”) may refer to those who genuinely understand that they are in a desperate situation, either/both spiritually and/or physically, and who, through living in God’s grace, experience the assurance of salvation. 

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”. This third step speaks of our attitude towards others. It calls us to be open (‘grace-full’) to our neighbour, to have a spirit of receptivity, and to embrace a liberal spirit. 
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” This Beatitude acknowledges human vulnerabilities and hence speaks of us attending to our own material needs and to those of others (‘gracious’), since the well-being and flourishing of our neighbours is crucial for our own well-being. 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” This Beatitude has Christological tones. It is only through God’s mercy that we can achieve friendship with God, and it is because we have been shown mercy that we can also extend it to others. We learn what it means to be Christ-like, since the ministry of Jesus is characterised by mercy from beginning to end. Mercy is hence an intensified form of charity: an outworking of divine love. 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” We explored three types of purity of heart: a) moral (with reference to Augustine of Hippo), which is largely a purity of intention that is the opposite of hypocrisy; b) mystical (Gregory of Nyssa), which connects to the gift of contemplation and requires us to put aside distractions and to cultivate a single heart; and c) ascetic (John Chrysostom). Purity of heart directly contrasts against our contemporary society which uses sex to think with. All three bring us back to Jesus’ commandment to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and strength. We need to learn to love as God has loved us. 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Here, we are invited to reflect (with the help of Augustine of Hippo) on the nature of peace itself, realising that it has three components: peace with ourselves, peace with God, and peace with our neighbours. 

I found these brief talks thought-provoking and stimulating and from time to time have returned to my notes to refresh my memory, kick-start further reflection, and illuminate my ongoing walk as a Christian. To someone such as myself - highly independent and generally self-sufficient –perhaps the biggest eye-opener, as well as challenge, is the emphasis running throughout Will’s exposés that these are virtues only made possible through Christ. It’s only when we recognise our own vulnerability and frailty as human beings that we will discover God’s grace. It’s only when we allow ourselves to acknowledge our need and desire for God that we can find our rest in Him. 

The retreat was important to me at a number of levels. I valued the opportunity to be attentive to what was going on inside me and the other retreatants, and to engage in a time of re-creation. I responded warmly to the intellectual insights and challenges offered through this ‘alternative’ way of conceptualising and understanding the Beatitudes. I appreciated the practical nature of what we were engaging with – no highfaluting theological mumbo jumbo here! Instead, I’ve come home with a simple, brief, yet profound schema of what it means to live life as a Christian in today’s world. 

Through many dangers, toils and snares
We have already come
‘Twas grace that brought us safe thus far
And grace will lead us home
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, 
Bright shining as the sun, 
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise 
Than when we first begun.