The Eighth Beatitude

"How blest are those who have suffered persecution for the cause of right; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs." How blest are we, for persecution is the sign that God's justice and holiness radiate from Mercy indwelling; how best are we, when slander has brought us to the freedom then to act with integrity and responsibility, for cursing and lies cannot touch us; how blest are we, for in the face of fearless humility, tyranny senses the crumbling of its empire and the feebleness of its energy that wildly and futilely grasps for support; how blest are we, for the leaven hidden in the loaf has begun to transfigure; how blest are we, for we know that all that is and will be now resides in the silence of the priestly sacrifice of our lives.

Pillars of Flame, p. 140.