Word to the Wise
Monday, June 8, 2015 - Monday in the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Cor 1:1-7 and Matt 5:1-12]When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..." [Matthew]
These words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew are familiar, almost too familiar. They begin the "Sermon on the Mount," which we associate with the first twelve verses of chapter five - the "Beatitudes." But the sermon goes on to the end of chapter seven! The Beatitudes can be wrapped in sentiment but they are actually the prelude to all that Jesus is going to say in the sermon. The setting is important because first, it is Jesus' response to the crowd that represents all those included in the Beatitudes. Second, Jesus goes up on a mountain like Moses went up to receive the Law from God, but this time it is a new Moses with a new teaching signified by Jesus sitting down, which is what a rabbi would do. Third, his disciples went to him. We may count ourselves in that number, which means all that Jesus says applies to US and not just to those who were there in the scene.
The Beatitudes are not pie in the sky bye and bye. Jesus speaks them with his own authority and that God will deliver on those promises. Salvation is a gift, but it requires action as well. We will see that very powerfully in the Lord's Prayer in regard to forgiveness. Be prepared in the days ahead to encounter a true catechism of Jesus' teachings and for self-examination that can make one squirm! AMEN
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