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In Matthew’s Gospel, he presents Jesus
as the new Moses. Even though there aren’t really mountains in that
area, he describes Jesus as going up the mountain. In the next few
chapters, Jesus will proceed to give new commands, the ones we and
his disciples have a hard time hearing. We will be told to turn the
other cheek, forgive from the heart, love our enemies, adultery
happens in the heart regardless of actions, etc.
But today’s reading, the beatitudes, are not commands from Jesus.
This is a common misunderstanding. We hear the beatitudes as a
command to be poor in spirit, merciful, a peacemaker, meek, etc. We
want to comply but we cannot of our own volition. Sometimes we try
to convince ourselves that we do pretty well at following the
beatitudes. We imagine that we are, for example, poor in spirit. We
tell ourselves that we’re not really attached to the things we have.
We maintain this notion until something we value is threatened. Many
of us admire Mother Theresa and can call to mind some of the things
she said. Something I don’t hear repeated often is something she
observed about the people of the US. She said that of all the
peoples of the world she has visited, she believed that the people
of the US were the least free. She saw us as enslaved to our
possessions and all that we seek from them. Because everyone around
us is enslaved as well, we don’t notice how our lives serve the
power, prestige, and possessions we believe we control. What we
think empowers us actually enslaves us without our awareness!
So what are the beatitudes about if not commands for our lives?
Jesus, in Matthews Gospel, knows how difficult it will be for his
disciples to hear his commands. Like us, they will think they are
impossible to follow and begin to either imagine how they are really
aren’t serious or that somehow they are already following them.
Jesus wants them to realize that they are not only possible but they
are very much what they would want to do. Jesus isn’t saying go be
poor in spirit. He’s saying look at how blessed are the poor in
spirit.
Among Jesus’ followers there were people who were poor in spirit. We
hear of some of them when were told there were women who were
assisting Jesus out of their means. Women don’t get mentioned in the
bible unless they are doing something significant. They’re not
helping with extra money they happen to have (who ever feels their
money is extra). They must have been making significant sacrifices
to be noticed. With Jesus’ mission being among the sinners and
outcasts of society, the money would be going to help those who most
would not want to be giving anything to. But Jesus points them out
not as heroes to admire. Rather he says, “Look how blessed they
are!” Jesus’ disciples would have known these women and people like
them. Jesus invites his disciples to see how blessed their lives
are. They’ve turned their backs on a world that would call such
“excessive” generosity foolishness and Jesus invites his followers
to realize that they have in their lives what his disciples long for
in their hearts. Jesus says, “Look how blessed they are, they know
what the kingdom is all about!”
Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Peace makers do not
choose sides and argue that their position is right versus someone
else’s views. They don’t argue for the left or right positions but
see the merits and limits of each. They are unpopular among those
who hold strong opinions (think politics, religion, etc.) Their
world isn’t black and white but they see the good and bad in
everyone, including themselves. They stand for justice for all which
means they have a special concern for those who society casts out.
That’s never popular. They accept everyone with their limits because
they know all people are loved as God’s children and not by their
merit. “They will be called children of God.”
The beatitudes are not rules to follow but people (saints of today)
in our midst whose life if worth noting. These are not people who
would call attention to themselves but Jesus invites us with his
disciples to realize they have what our hearts desire. Jesus wants
his disciples to consider really following his commands which are so
countercultural (then and now) and which will be seen as very
foolish in society. In our midst there are people who are poor in
spirit, who are merciful, who are peacemakers, etc. They are far
from the majority but they are in our midst and some are in our
parish. Jesus wants his disciples and us to consider making every
effort to follow his commands. That doesn’t earn us anything but our
efforts open us to the power of God to transform our hearts. He
wants us to see in the saints who have gone before us and those who
are present today what can happen in a person’s heart. He wants us
to see in them what our hearts are seeking. When we see the lives of
those who dare to live the beatitudes, we see a reason to dare to
follow Jesus commands. |
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