Sunday Reflection_4th Sunday of the Year

Today’s Gospel is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon “on the Mount” (according to Matthew – “on the Plain” according to Luke) – an extended instruction for his disciples. In Matthews Gospel the author begins Jesus’ extended teaching with the Beatitudes. This was a style of teaching that was popular with other Rabbis as well. They invited their listeners to consider their situation, and, no matter how difficult it was, to see themselves as blessed by God. In his teaching Jesus said these people were blessed because what they wanted or needed would be granted in the Kingdom of God, if not in this life then in the next.

Jesus points out that in this life some are poor and powerless, some are meek, gentle and pure of heart, some mourn a loss and seek for justice, some are merciful and peacemakers, and finally some are persecuted. In all these cases people can find their way of living and behaving a heavy burden. In the world in which they live it is the rich and powerful who seem to be blessed by God and not the meek, gentle and pure of heart. People who are merciful and peacemakers often seem to get in more trouble in this world while trying to live that way. People who mourn and want justice often do not find the support they need in this world. So they do not see themselves as blessed by God.

However, Jesus was telling his disciples that in the kingdom of God the values are different. The poor will have the kingdom of God, the gentle will have their heritage, those mourning will be consoled, those who hunger for justice will be satisfied, the merciful will always find mercy shown them, the pure of heart will see God, the peacemakers will be called children of God, and those who are persecuted will find joy in the kingdom of heaven.

Are these promises going to be fulfilled? Jesus is basically asking His disciples (us) to live with that hope, no matter how bad things become for us. It is not always easy to live with hope. Charles Peguy, a French convert in the early 20th century, wrote a book on “The Second Virtue”. He maintained it was the most difficult virtue to practice.

I learned an important lesson in hope shortly after I was ordained. I was asked to be the Chaplain in the Hospital run by the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit for two weeks while the regular Chaplain took his holiday. My first evening there I visited the Intensive Care Unit. There was a sixteen year old girl who was obviously in pain. She had a serious operation on her stomach and there were tubes attached to all parts of her body. She looked at me and asked: Why does God do this to me? I am a good girl. I told her that the Sisters assured me she would get well. I promised her that before she left the hospital for good I would take her across the street for a milk shake. And she held me to that promise. It had given her hope when she felt there was no hope for her.
It is very hard to maintain hope when things really begin to go wrong. At one point in my seminary training I was very discouraged. I was tempted to give up and maybe even leave the seminary. But it was a priest who had been through a very difficult time himself and who noticed how upset I was, who talked to me and said those “magical” words: we cannot give up hope, Larry. We have to continue to trust in God. And he was so right. It was hope that kept me going and the crisis passed.

When His disciples first heard the beatitudes I wonder if they perhaps did not ask themselves: is this really good news! After the Resurrection they knew that it was, and so they were willing to go all over the world to preach the hope we need to live by.