JESUS SAID
explaining the Gospel message
A reflection of the Sermon on the Mount By Father Brady Williams, SOLT
O Contributor
ne time I opened a box of Tazo Calm tea, and on the teabag packaging, there was a brief message that read something like: “One cup of Tazo Calm tea is like sitting down in an alpine valley for fifteen minutes with your shoes off.” If Tazo tea could do something like that, what would sitting and reflecting on the Sermon on the Mount do (shoes optional)? Some say it would take a moderate reader only about 13 minutes to read the estimated 2000 words of the most famous sermon ever preached. While Tazo Calm offers a brief repose in an alpine valley, the great words of Jesus promise the heights of pure happiness! “Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them saying: ….” (Mt 5:1-2). Jesus invites his disciples to come to him on the mountain. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and particularly the Beatitudes, are a kind of ‘word picture’ of Jesus himself. He is the poor, meek, merciful One who thirsts to fulfill all righteousness, who is pure of heart and who is our peace, and whose way of life will be a cause of persecution. He is not only the giver of the New Law but also its perfect exemplar. The “Sermon on the Mount” is both the panoramic view at the top of the mountain revealing the marvelous vistas of holiness and the path to true happiness that occurs when we conform our lives more perfectly to Christ: “You, therefore, must be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). We, as Jesus’ disciples, ought to turn to the Sermon on the Mount frequently to find the answer to our desire for happiness in life and to strive for greater perfection. The Sermon on the Mount can be a useful guide for examining our conscience, helping us to identify those areas in our life that we need to change to be more Christ-like.
“You have heard that it was said, but I say to you ….” (Mt 5:27, 31, 33, 38, 43). The centerpiece of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus himself. On the one hand, Jesus says: “You have heard ….” – this presents us with the opportunity to evaluate our thoughts, values, opinions, ways of thinking, analyses, decisions, etc., in the light of being a disciple of Christ. We could ask ourselves who the most prominent voices we tend to listen to and how they compare to the values, thoughts, and ways of thinking of Christ? On the other hand, Jesus gives a response: “but I say to you….” Here, we should receive in humble reverence the Word of God, willing to sit at his feet and listen in silence to what He has to say about this/that. Otherwise, we run the risk of Jesus’ words, “but I say to you…” just being one opinion among others and even being content with believing whatever we want (follow the prevailing view) or that Jesus must agree with me. Are we open to listening to Jesus’ words as entrusted to His Church, or are we too quick to view the Christian perspective as a little out-of-date to our modern view? I think we will find that the words of Jesus challenge us more often than we would like and in ways that are not always comfortable. It is necessary to allow the words of Jesus to sink in more deeply. Such a reading requires listening attentively to Him and for an atmosphere of silence to have a more prominent role in our lives. Perhaps in these very turbulent times, we need to go up the mountain once again to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen attentively to “what I say to you ….” His words will configure our lives to the Gospel so that we indeed become salt and light for the world (cf. Mt 5: 13 – 16). Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount by saying that if we listen to these words and put them into practice, we are building our lives on solid rock (Mt 7:24), and will indeed be authentic Christians who have put on the mind of Christ and seek to fulfill his will in our daily lives.
Perhaps in these very turbulent times, we need to go up the mountain once again to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen attentively to “what I say to you ….” 8
S O U T H T E X A S C AT H O L I C
|
FALL 2020
|
M AY T H E Y A L L B E O N E
