Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 5:8

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." — Matthew 5:8 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: The merciful person loses the benefit of his mercy unless he shows it from a pure heart; for if he seeks a reason to boast, he loses the fruit of his deeds. Therefore, the next beatitude that follows is, Blessed are the pure of heart. ¹

Glossa Ordinaria: Purity of heart comes properly in the sixth place because on the sixth day man was created in the image of God. This image was shrouded by sin but is formed anew in pure hearts by grace. It rightly follows the previously mentioned graces, because if they are not present, a clean heart is not created in a man. ²

St. John Chrysostom: By “the pure” he here means those who possess a perfect goodness, conscious of no evil thoughts, or again, those who live with the kind of temperance that is most necessary for seeing God. This is according to St. Paul’s words, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God. Since many people are merciful yet unchaste, he adds this teaching on purity to show that mercy alone is not enough.

St. Jerome: The pure person is known by purity of heart, for the temple of God cannot be impure.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He who in thought and deed fulfills all righteousness sees God in his heart, because righteousness is an image of God, for God is righteousness. To the extent that anyone has rescued himself from evil and does good works, to that same extent he sees God—whether dimly, or fully, or sometimes, or always, according to the capabilities of human nature. But in the world to come, the pure in heart shall see God face to face, not as in a mirror or as an enigma, as we do here.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Those who seek to see God with the physical eye are foolish, since He is seen only by the heart. As it is written elsewhere, In singleness of heart seek Him. A single heart is the same as what is here called a pure heart. ³

But if the spiritual eyes in the spiritual body will be able to see only as much as the eyes we now have can see, then undoubtedly God will not be able to be seen by them. ⁴

This seeing of God is the reward of faith. To this end, our hearts are made pure by faith, as it is written, cleansing their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). But the present verse proves this even more strongly. ⁵

No one who sees God can be alive with the life people have on earth or with our current bodily senses. Unless a person dies completely to this life—either by departing from the body entirely, or by becoming so alienated from carnal desires that he can truly say with the Apostle, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell—he is not transported to see this vision. ⁶

Glossa Ordinaria: The reward for these is greater than the rewards for the first beatitudes; it is not merely to dine in the King's court, but to go further and see His face. ⁷

1. Luc., vi, 22
2. ap. Anselm
3. Serm. in Mont., i, 2
4. City of God, book 22, ch. 29
5. de Trin., i, 8
6. de Genesi ad Literam. xii. 26
7. non occ.