The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1-12a

When he 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. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy, Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

“Let the proud then long for the kingdoms of the earth; the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the humble.” St. Augustine

Discussion Questions:

1. Which of the Beatitudes resonate with you as your spiritual gifts? How do you experience that gift in your relationship with others?  
2. How do you understand what it means to be “poor in spirit”?
3. If you were to live any of the Beatitudes more consciously, what would have to change about how you see and think?
4. In your personal experience where do you notice the “way of the world”, conflicting with the “way of Christ”?

   The way of the world = building up, accomplishing, and acquiring. The way of Christ = letting go, surrendering, and living with a vulnerable and open heart?

Biblical Context

Matthew 5:1-12a
Margaret Nutting Ralph PHD

In today’s Gospel Jesus is promulgating a new law, and, like Moses (see Exod 19- 20), Jesus is doing so from a mountaintop: “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…” Matthew places Jesus on the mountain for a theological, not a historical reason. He is again teaching that Jesus is the new Moses with authority from God to promulgate the new law. We can tell that this detail of placing Jesus on the mountain is a conscious choice of Matthew by comparing Matthew’s account to Luke’s. In Luke, when Jesus teaches the Beatitudes (the statements that are worded, “Blessed are…”) to his disciples and a large crowd, he is not on the mountain, but on
flat ground (Luke 6:17).

We will be able to see another particular emphasis in Matthew’s Gospel if we compare the ways in which Matthew and Luke word the Beatitudes. In Luke, Jesus is pictured as speaking directly to those who have been marginalized by society and are disenfranchised.

Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. (Luke 6:20b-21a)

In Matthew’s Gospel there is a subtle difference in the wording. Jesus says:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Jesus is speaking not to, but about, those who are poor “in spirit, that is, those who may own material wealth, but do not cling to it. Jesus is speaking not to those who are hungry “now,” that is, those who lack food, but about those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Matthew has broadened the group who is being called “blessed.”

Scripture scholars suggest that Matthew’s wording reflects the effect of the passage of time on the way the early church passed on Jesus’ preaching. Jesus may well have addressed the poor and hungry directly and called them “blessed,” a complete reversal of understanding for those who thought material wealth was a sign of God’s blessing and suffering a sign of God’s displeasure, a punishment for sin. Luke retained that wording and that message. Matthew, on the other hand, broadened the wording to include later disciples of Jesus who were not materially poor or hungry but who were sincerely trying to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy… Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

In these Beatitudes Jesus calls “blessed” those who may be in a position of power: those who have an opportunity to be merciful to others, and those who can work for peace. Notice that the Beatitude does not say, “Blessed are the merciful, for God will show them mercy,” but “they will be shown mercy.” It is not just God, but all disciples of Jesus who are called to make the promise of the Beatitudes a reality. Those in Jesus’ audience are not just to receive comfort when they mourn and food when they are hungry; they are also to be the source of these blessings. They are to comfort those who mourn and feed the hungry themselves.

One final comment on the Beatitudes: Remember, we noted that the core of Jesus’ preaching is about the imminent in-breaking of the kingdom of God. Matthew’s Beatitudes reflect the “already but not yet” aspect of the kingdom by having Jesus sometimes use the present tense and sometimes use the future tense in describing the reward that the “blessed” will receive. When Jesus calls “blessed” those who are persecuted he first says, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and then says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” When Jesus calls the poor in spirit blessed he says, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In the other Beatitudes, the future tense is used: “for they will be comforted… they will see God “Once more we see that the coming of the kingdom is both a present and a future event. Jesus’ disciples, including us, can receive the gift of the kingdom and participate in its coming by living in conformity to the new law that Jesus promulgated when he preached the Beatitudes.

We Are All Blessed

Reflection
Fr. Michael K. Marsh

“Blessed.” Jesus says that word nine times in today’s gospel (Matthew 5:1-12). We often talk about ourselves or others as being blessed. “I’m blessed.” “She’s blessed.” “We’re really blessed.” You’ve said and heard those things, right? But here’s what I wonder: what do they mean?

What does it mean to be blessed? When you tell another that you are blessed what do you mean by that? And when you hear someone else say, “I’m really blessed,” how do you understand that? I ask those questions because I think what we mean when we talk about being blessed is often not what Jesus means when he talks about our being blessed. 

When I hear others talk about being blessed, they often describe things like good health, healing from a sickness, well-being, wealth, some good fortune, success, getting through a difficult time, family, love or friendship, receiving support from another, getting something, they wanted, things going their way. That’s often how I’ve thought about it too. They’re certainly good things and I want them for you and myself but is that really what it means to be blessed? Maybe it’s better than that.

How many of you, when I asked you to name something that points to or indicates your blessedness, named one of the beatitudes in today’s gospel? Nobody? They’re not at the top of my list either. I didn’t ask that question as a test, criticism, or judgment but as a wondering that maybe we don’t really get what it means to be blessed.

I suspect most of us think of blessedness as some sort of reward or favoritism from God. We’re lucky or fortunate in contrast to someone who is not. We’ve received a particular benefit. Maybe our prayer was answered like we wanted. Maybe we even think we did things right as opposed to someone who did them wrong, or times when we did things wrong. Maybe we think that to be blessed means we’ve been chosen, picked, favored, benefitted.

What if that’s not at all what it means to be blessed? What if blessedness is broader and bigger than that? What if we don’t acquire or get blessedness? What if it’s a given? What if it’s not unique or particular to certain individuals? What if there are no prerequisites or qualifications to be blessed? What if blessedness isn’t exclusive to some but inclusive of all?

The distinction isn’t between those who are blessed and those who are not blessed. The only distinction is between those who know they are blessed and those who have not yet recognized their blessedness. It’s not a question of blessedness but a question of recognition. 

Take being poor in spirit, for example. Being poor in spirit is not the blessing and it’s not the prerequisite to receive a blessing. It’s a manifestation or expression of one who recognizes her or his blessedness. It’s the way we live when we already know and trust that we are blessed. And so, it is with all the beatitudes.

When we know that we are blessed we live in a particular way and when we don’t know or trust our blessedness we live in a different way. When I trust and live from my blessedness, I’m able to respond to you in a different way, a better way, a deeper way, a more loving way. But when I forget, turn away from, deny, or don’t recognize my blessedness, more often than not I betray myself and that usually means I will hurt you. 

When I know myself to be blessed, I’m more fully myself. I’m more aware of and connected to others. My world is larger. My life seems to flow and feel more natural. And I don’t have to prove myself, live up to another’s expectations, or gain somebody’s approval. I don’t have to compare myself to or compete with others. It’s enough to just know myself as blessed, and to express that blessedness in the truest most authentic way I can in that moment.

What would it be like for you and me today to go out and share something of ourselves? Not to prove something. And not to get something. But to acknowledge something. What would it take and look like for us to simply say, “I’m blessed”, to express that in some gesture for someone else, then go on about our lives?

Selections from Breaking Open the Lectionary: Lectionary Readings in Their Biblical Context for RCIA, Faith Sharing Groups, and Lectors—Cycle A, by Margaret Nutting Ralph, Copyright © 2007 by Margaret Nutting Ralph. Paulist Press, Inc., New York/Mahwah, NJ. Reprinted by permission of Paulist Press, Inc. www.paulistpress.com.

 

Reflection excerpt from, Interrupting the Silence by Fr. Michael K. Marsh, used by permission.