RBWords

     For the next couple of weeks, the daily gospel scripture will be taken from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel According to Matthew.  The first scripture of the day will come from what scripture scholars call "the Elijah Cycle" in the First Book of Kings.

     Yesterday, the gospel scripture consisted of the "Beatitudes" which begin the Sermon on the Mount.  I want to briefly point our the very first verse because it impacts everything that follows.  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......"   Two details are important here.  First, Jesus goes up the mountain.  In the Bible important things happen on mountains (the Ten Commandments, the Transfiguration), things that are revelation.  Second, Jesus sits down.  In the Bible (and still in the Middle East) the Teacher sits down and the disciples gather around him at his feet.  Recall the scene in Luke 10, at the home of Martha and Mary, where Mary sits at the Lord's feet and listens to his words. [Luke 10:38-42].  As we begin our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, I hope we can place ourselves accordingly, because the Sermon on the Mount is the fundamental catechism of Christian belief and practice.

     In 1993, the bishops of the United States published a document entitled COMMUNITIES OF SALT AND LIGHT.  The title, of course, is taken from the words of Jesus quoted above from the Sermon on the Mount.  This document is meant as a blueprint for parishes to develop programs of evangelization and social ministry.  At least in the United States, the local parish is the fundamental unit of the church.  The words of Jesus are not meant simply to be individualized although it is important for each of us to take these words to heart.  They are meant for entire communities to develop an attitude of welcome, witness and proclamation.  Christianity is not a religion of the "I" but of the "WE."  If enough of us are asking how we can be salt and light, a community becomes a powerful evangelizing force.  I urge everyone to find COMMUNITIES OF SALT AND LIGHT and start asking how your parish fits in it and how you can make it happen or help it keep on happening.  The questions I ask when giving a retreat are:  WHAT DO I NEED TO START DOING?  WHAT DO I NEED TO STOP DOING?  WHAT DO I NEED TO KEEP ON DOING?  An entire parish can ask those questions.  Even more fundamentally, can we accept the fact that Jesus is teaching us and the final exam can be tough.  {Matt. 25:31-45]  AMEN