January 28 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mt. 5/1-12

BACKGROUND

This Sunday begins Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount. This excerpt and those that follow are a collection of the teachings and saying of Jesus gathered together in one place. Jesus, like Moses, goes up to the mountain and sits as he speaks, demonstrating his authority as a teacher. The question often asked about the Beatitudes and other teachings on the Mount is what did they mean for Christ's followers in the age after his death and what do they mean for us in the present age. If the Beatitudes are seen as new laws given by Jesus then three questions follow: Are we required to cultivate them in our lives? Or are the requirements of a life lived according to the Beatitudes so impossible that we despair and then realize that we need salvation? Or are they a demand that those who are waiting for the second coming live a heroic, seemingly impossible life, as they await the return of Jesus? However, if the Beatitudes are the gospel, the good news, then they can be seen as gift of God. We know that as children of God we are blest and will be able to withstand any oppression and also want to do away with that which oppresses others. In other words, we are turned on to the Good News and want to share it with others.

STORY

Thirty years ago this month a group of young Chicago suburban housewives with small children were intrigued by the changes in the Church. They wanted to know more about what it all meant. However, with the demands of family they were unable to attend any of the evening lectures offered in their community. So they decided to start a daytime program offering baby sitting service and lectures by experts who were familiar with the ideas of the Council. When they approached the pastor with their proposal, he said they could use the parish facility; but thought their idea was foolish. "You won't be able to get anyone to teach the course and you won't get anyone to come." Another priest warned them that this could be a threat to their husbands. "This isn't like bowling or bridge, you know. You husbands won't like you knowing more than they do about these things." But these women, who were turned on to the excitement of the Good News persisted (perhaps were single- hearted?) and about forty women participated in the first six weekly sessions. The program expanded over the years and other areas of the city began to offered similar programs. In 1970 a newly ordained priest came to the parish and acted as a chaplain to the group. Today, he says he learned more about the new theology from participating in the program then he had learned in his seminary days. Educators from the seminary, the colleges in the area, and the divinity schools were all eager to come and lecture. Thirty years later the program is still in existence and this month over 150 women are signed up to participate in the six sessions of the Spring quarter of the program. The impossible became possible and has enriched the lives of many women.

Mary G. Durkin