Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt: 5:1-12a) “The New Commandments
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt: 5:1-12a) “The New Commandments”
Avery Dulles wrote an important book called, “The Models of the Church.” He described the different activities of the church as it seeks to fulfill its mission in the world. The church does what Jesus did. One of the models of the church is that it is servant which means that the church seeks to take care of those in need: the poor, the sick, the hungry. Another model of the church is that the church is herald which means that the church is about announcing Good News. Jesus did that. We do that.
Jesus embraced the title of teacher. In the first four chapters of the Gospel of Matthew we hear about Jesus, but we don’t hear from Jesus. All that changes in the fifth chapter. In that section of the Sermon on the Mount begins. We are told that Jesus goes up on the mountain. Moses went up to the mountain to get the ten commandments. Jesus gives his commandments on a mountain. A direct corollary is drawn there. But there is a difference.
When a rabbi sat down to teach, it was a sign that what he was to say was important. We could say that the dynamic was like that of a bishop. A Bishop has his “cathedra” in the cathedral. The throne (chair) is a sign of a bishop’s authority. Quite often a bishop will sit when he preaches. Bishop Schlarman, the Bishop of Peoria in the 1940’s, thought that the symbol of the cathedra was so important that he had a portable throne he brought with him to sit on when visiting parishes. When a Pope makes a dogmatic pronouncement, he takes care to make it clear if it is ex cathedra or from the chair. If so, then it is the highest teachings.
Jesus, we could say, is speaking ex cathedra as he gives his Sermon on the Mount. Someone once said that this is one of the greatest speeches, if not the greatest, that has ever been given. We might argue that this is the message that Jesus came to the world to proclaim. And that message starts with the beatitudes.
As Catholics, we say the Nicene Creed every Sunday. The Creed is theologically precise. And it was put together over time. Because we say it each Sunday, we have it memorized. Interestingly enough, Orthodox Christians chant the Beatitudes when they worship each Sunday. The Orthodox do this as the Gospel book is carried through the church during the liturgy of the world. What Orthodox Christians are saying by this gesture is that the beatitudes sum up everything that Jesus taught.
The beatitudes aren’t cut and dried Theology, but they are poetry that needs to be meditated on. Each of us is meant to apply these sayings to our lives. How do we apply them? Do we wrestle to put the beatitudes into action? John Climacus, the desert father, says the beatitudes are like a ladder to heaven. The way to perfection is to slowly climb this ladder living what Jesus taught. He also says, if we fall off the ladder, we can get back on and try again.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa puts it well when he says of Jesus’ teaching:
“O inexpressible mystery and unheard of paradox: the Invisible is seen, the Intangible is touched, the Eternal Word becomes accessible to our speech, the Timeless steps into time, the Son of God becomes the Son of Man.”
When we teach as Jesus did, we must be comfortable not knowing all the answers.
We have an obligation, as a parish, to teach the Gospel. We must have ministries to do this. One of the primary ministries of our parish is parochial schools. This week is Catholic Schools week. Seton School and Alleman High School are where we put half of our budget. Our schools are part of our mission. Many families first contact with Catholicism comes when the children of the family are enrolled in the Catholic schools. We will have numerous students this year who will be baptized, receive first communion and confirmation. Parents will have marriages validated. Other churches wish they had this tool of evangelization at their disposal, but we need teachers who will dedicate their lives to this mission. As we pray this week for our schools, let’s pray especially for new classroom instructors, administrators and parents who will teach the next generation the Good News of Jesus. We need to be heralds of the Gospel if we follow Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
Who have I taught about Jesus? Was it my children, a friend, who?
Do I try to learn more about my faith each day? How do I try to do that?
Dear Parishioners,
Included in this week’s bulletin is a financial report concerning our operating budget for the year. Our parish has been very generous with special appeals. We have done extraordinarily well with our Centennial Appeal for the new Gathering Center. We have also done well with the Annual Diocesan Appeal this year. We are within $10,000 of our goal. Hopefully, we can make it. This helps our finances tremendously. Thanks to all who have given of your treasure for these special needs.
There is something we need to work on, however. We need to do better in our Sunday offertory. We are far behind in our goal for the year. I would like to see us at least match what we gave last year. We are behind there too. One reason for that may be that we did not have an extra Christmas collection or New Year’s collection this year. Both those holidays fell on Sunday. The brutal weather Christmas day also hurt our collections.
My appeal to you would be this. If you haven’t kept up on your Sunday donations, please try to make these monies up. Such donations are important in paying our ordinary expenses. These costs continue to rise. Inflation that impacts your personal finances impact our parish finances as well. Our resources are a gift from God to us. Hopefully, we can give back to charity. Sacred Heart is a charitable institution, and it depends on your generosity to spread the Gospel. Thank you in advance for anything you can do.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints pray for us.
Fr. Mark