January 24, 1999 |
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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mt. 5/1-12 |
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| 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 with stand 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. |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time there was a family suffering from the strain caused by sibling rivalry. The brother and sister seemed at odds over everything. Sometimes the rivalry was overt but more often then not, it was covert and even more destructive. The parents, convinced that theirs was the only family in which this happened, were dismayed at their children’s behavior. They tried grounding the offenders or making them do extra work around the house, or charging them an amount for the charity box. Still, it seemed to them that nothing worked. Imagine their surprise the day their son, the second child, who was the constant source of irritation to his older sister and also the bane of her existence, came home with the news that she had stood up for him when one of his classmates had accused him of setting off the fire alarm. They were even more surprised when they learned that she was not there when the alarm went off but had still defended him. When they asked her how she knew he was innocent, she replied, "I know him and I know he wouldn’t do that." End of discussion. |
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