Word to the Wise
Monday, June 6, 2016 - Monday in the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 17:1-6 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]
This week, all the gospel scriptures will be coming from the "Sermon on the Mount" section of the Gospel of Matthew. Many of the phrases will seem familiar to us, but their sheer familiarity may make them "invisible" because they are so much a part of the Christian tradition. I am hoping that we can all sit up straight at Jesus' feet and pay attention! These teachings were not uttered just for those sitting in front of Jesus at the time.
The first few words come from the evangelist and not from Jesus, but they are important nonetheless. Jesus goes up "the mountain." In the Bible, very important things happen on a mountain. In this case, the evangelist is portraying Jesus like a new Moses but one who teaches on his own authority. Second, Jesus takes the position of a teacher in those days: he sits down and the disciples sit at his feet. It requires a certain humility to be willing to learn from someone else in no small part because we don't like to admit we are ignorant. I think after going through the Sermon on the Mount, we may wonder how it is possible in this day and age to "take Jesus seriously." The challenges are very sharp and demanding. Jesus is a very demanding teacher and it is only through faith in him that we will be able to "take him seriously" and examine our own lives in the light of his teachings. I recommend getting your Bible out and following along as we go through this "catechism" of Christian life! The Beatitudes are just the beginning! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
86 ms
4
