When Christ said, "Blessed are the afflicted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven", He did not mean in a general way those who suffer, for all on earth suffer, whether they are on a throne or sleeping on straw. Unfortunately, however, few are those who suffer well. Few understand that it is only trials that are well endured that lead to the kingdom of God. Discouragement is a fault. God refuses to give you comfort when you lack courage. Prayer is a support for the soul, but it is not enough; it must be supported by a living faith in the goodness of God. You have often been told that He does not lay a heavy burden on weak backs. The burden is proportionate to the strength, just as the reward will be proportionate to resignation and courage. The reward will be all the more valuable the more grievous the affliction. But that reward must be merited, and that is why life abounds in tribulations.

The soldier who is not sent to the firing lines is not satisfied, for rest in camp is not conducive to his promotion. Be ye, therefore, like the military man, and crave not rest whereby your body would be dulled and your soul dulled. When God sends you into battle, be of good cheer. That fight is not in the fire of battle, but in the bitterness of life, where sometimes more courage is needed than in bloody combat, for he who stands firm before the foe may falter under the weight of moral grief. Man receives no reward for that kind of courage, but God reserves for him the palm of victory and a glorious place. When you have cause for suffering or annoyance, try to overcome it, and when you have mastered the impulses of impatience, anger or despair, say to yourselves, with just satisfaction, ‘I have been stronger.

Blessed are the afflicted can therefore be translated as follows: "Blessed are those who have occasion to test their faith, their steadfastness, their perseverance and their submission to the will of God, for they will obtain a hundredfold the joy which they lack on earth, and after their labour will come rest". (Lacordaire. Le Havre, 1863.)