Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

Almighty God,

our hope and our strength,

without You we falter.

Help us to follow Christ

and to live according to Your will.

Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 6:24-34

Jesus said to his disciples: "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

3) Reflection

• Today’s Gospel helps us to review our relationship with material goods and presents two themes of diverse importance: our relationship with money (Mt 6:24) and our relationship with Divine Providence (Mt 6:25-34). The advice given by Jesus gave rise to several difficult questions. For example, how can we understand the affirmation: “You cannot serve God and money” (Mt 6:24)? How can we understand the recommendation not to worry about food, about drink, and about dress (Mt 6:25)?

• Matthew 6:24: You cannot serve God and money. Jesus is very clear in His affirmation: “No one can serve two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and money… Each one has to make his/her own choice. They should ask themselves: “To what do I give the first place in my life: God or money?” This choice will depend on understanding the advice which follows about Divine Providence (Mt 6:25-34). It is not a question about a choice made only in one’s head, but rather a very concrete choice of life that has to do with attitudes.

• Matthew 6:25: Jesus criticizes excessive worry about eating and drinking. This criticism of Jesus, even in our day, causes great fear in people because the great worry of all parents is how to get food and clothing for their children. The reason for the criticism is that life is worth more than food and the body more than the clothes. In order to clarify or explain his criticism Jesus presents two parables: the birds of the air and the flowers.

• Matthew 6:26-27: The parable of the birds of the air: life is worth more than food. Jesus orders them to look at the birds. They do not sow, or reap or gather into barns, but they always have something to eat because the Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are?” Jesus criticizes the fact that the worry about food occupies the whole horizon of the life of people, without leaving space to experience and relish gratuity and fraternity and the sense of belonging to the Father. This is why materialism is wrong, because it obliges the great majority of people to live 24 hours a day, worried about food and clothing, and produces in a rich minority, quite a limited one, the anguish of buying and consuming up to the point of not leaving space for anything else. Jesus says that life is worth more than the goods to be consumed! Materialist prevents living the Kingdom.

• Matthew 6:28-30: the parable of the lilies in the fields: the body is worth more than clothing. Jesus asks us to look at the flowers, the lilies of the fields. How elegant and beautiful God dresses them! “Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers growing in the field which are there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will He not much more look after you, you who have so little faith?” Jesus says to look at the things of nature, because seeing the flowers of the field, people will remember the mission which we have: to struggle for the Kingdom and to create a new life, living together, which can guarantee the food and clothing for everybody.

• Matthew 6:31-32: Do not be like the Gentiles. Jesus once again criticizes the excessive worry over food, drink, and clothing. He concludes: “The gentiles are concerned about these things!” There should be a difference in the life of those who have faith in Jesus and those who do not have faith in Jesus. Those who have faith in Jesus share with Him the experience of the gratuity of God the Father, Abba. This experience of paternity should revolutionize life together. It should generate a community life which is fraternal, and the seed of a new society.

• Matthew 6:33-34: Set your hearts on the Kingdom first. Jesus indicates two criteria: “To seek first the kingdom of God” and not to worry about tomorrow. To seek first the Kingdom and its justice is a means to seek to do God’s will and allow God to reign in our life. The search for God is concretely expressed in the search for a fraternal and just life together. From this concern for the Kingdom springs a community life in which all live as brothers and sisters and nobody is lacking anything. Here there will be no worry for tomorrow, that is, there will be no worry about storing up things.

• Seek first of all the kingdom of God and its justice. The kingdom of God should be at the center of all of our concerns. The Kingdom demands a life together, where there is no storing up of things, but sharing in such a way that all have what is necessary to live. The Kingdom is the new fraternal life together, in which each person feels responsible for others. This way of seeing the Kingdom helps us to better understand the parables of the birds and the flowers, because for Jesus, Divine Providence passes through the community. To be concerned about the kingdom of God and its justice is the same as to be concerned about accepting God, the Father, and of being brother and sister with others. Before the growing impoverishment caused by economic consumerism, the concrete form which the Gospel presents to us gives us an alternative so that the poor will be able to live via the solidarity of the organization.

• A sharp knife in the hands of a child can be a mortal weapon. A sharp knife in the hand of a person hanging on a cord can save. The words of God on Divine Providence are like this. It would not be evangelical to say to a jobless father, who is poor, who has eight children and a sick wife: “Do not worry about food or drink! Why worry about health and clothes?” (Mt 6:25-28). We can say this only when we ourselves imitate Jesus, organize ourselves to share, guaranteeing in this way to the brother the possibility of surviving. Otherwise, we are like the three friends of Job, that in order to defend God they told lies (Job 13:7). It would be like “abandoning an orphan and betraying a friend”. In the mouth of the rich, these words can be a mortal arm against the poor. In the mouth of the poor they can be a real and concrete outlet for a better life together, more just and more fraternal.

4) Personal questions

• What do I understand by Divine Providence? Do I trust in Divine Providence? How do I express it in real life? Can it be better expressed now that I look at it and myself?

• In helping others we participate in Divine Providence, which is to participate in the Kingdom as well. What are the opportunities I had today to help and participate in God’s plan to help sustain others that I missed or avoided or shrunk away from?

• When I pass someone on the street asking for money, do I just toss them a coin or do I spend time to find out what they need and who they are? Is there more that I can do? Even talking to them and treating them as a friend is a form of welcoming them into the community and respect for a brother or sister – something they likely do not feel.

5) Concluding Prayer

I observe Your instructions,

I love them dearly.

I observe Your precepts, Your judgments,

for all my ways are before You. (Ps 119:166-167)

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

Almighty God,

our hope and our strength,

without You we falter.

Help us to follow Christ

and to live according to Your will.

Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 6:19-23

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be."

3) Reflection

• In today’s Gospel we continue our reflection on the Sermon on the Mount. The last few days we have reflected on the practice of the three works of piety: almsgiving (Mt 6:1-4), prayer (Mt 6:5-15), and fasting (Mt 6:16-18). Today’s and tomorrow’s Gospel presents four recommendations on the relationship with material goods, clearly explaining how to live the poverty of the first Beatitude: (a) not to accumulate (Mt 6:19-21); (b) to have a correct idea of material goods (Mt 6:22-23); (c) to not serve two masters (Mt 6:24); (d) to abandon oneself to Divine Providence (Mt 6:25-34). Today’s Gospel presents the first two recommendations: not to accumulate goods (6:19-21) and not to look at the world with diseased eyes (6:22-23).

• Matthew 6:19-21: Do not accumulate treasures on earth. If, for example, today on TV, it is announced that next month sugar and coffee will be lacking in the market, we might all buy the most coffee and sugar we can. We accumulate because we lack trust. During the forty years in the desert, the people were tested to see if they were capable of observing God’s Law (Ex 16:4). The test consisted of this: to see if they were capable of gathering only the necessary manna for a single day and not accumulate for the following day. Jesus says: “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworm destroys them and thieves cannot break in and steal. What does it mean to store up treasures in heaven? It is a question of knowing where I place the basis of my existence. If I place it on material goods of this earth, I always run the danger of losing what I have stored up. If I place the basis in God, nobody will be able to destroy it and I will have interior freedom to share with others what I possess. In order that this may be possible and feasible it is important to reach a community life which will favor sharing and reciprocal help, and in which the greatest richness or the treasure is not material riches, but rather the richness or the treasure of fraternal living together born from the certainty brought by Jesus: God is Father and Mother of all. Because there, where your treasure is, is your heart.

• Matthew 6:22-23: The light of your body is the eye. To understand what Jesus asks it is necessary to have new eyes. Jesus is demanding and asks very much; do not store up (6:19-21), do not serve God and money together (6:24), do not worry about what you are to eat or drink (6:25-34). These demanding recommendations have something to do with that part of human life where people are anguished and worried. It also forms a part of the Sermon on the Mount that is more difficult to understand and practice. This is why Jesus says: “If your eye is diseased ....". Some translate this as diseased eye and healthy eye. Others translate as mean or poor eye and generous eye. It is the same, in reality, the worse sickness that one can imagine is a person closed up in herself and in her goods and who trusts only worldly things. It is the sickness of being stingy! Anyone who looks at life with this eye lives in sadness and in darkness. The medicine to cure this sickness is conversion, a change of mentality and ideology. To place the basis of life on God allows our look to become generous and life becomes luminous, because it makes sharing and fraternity emerge.

•Jesus wants a radical change. He wants the observance of the Law of the sabbatical year, where it is said that in the community of believers there cannot be poor (Dt 15:4). Human living together should be organized in such a way that a person should not have to worry about food and drink, about dress and house, about health and education (Mt 6:25-34). But this is possible if we all seek the kingdom of God and His justice first (Mt 6:33). The kingdom of God means to permit God to reign: it is to imitate God (Mt 5:48). The imitation of God leads to a just sharing of goods and of creative love, which brings about a true fraternity. Divine Providence can be mediated by the fraternal organization. It is only in this way that it will be possible to eliminate any worry or concern for tomorrow (Mt 6:34).

4) Personal questions

• We are stewards of what God gives us and He tells us not to store up these goods for ourselves. How do I manage this in real life? What have I stored up? Should I share a little part or everything?

• When I share, or give to others, do I give a little and keep most of it, or give most and keep only what I need for the day?

• In giving, the Church talks of time, talent, and treasure. What would be ways of hoarding these instead of sharing them? Are there other things from God to be given to others? Do I share a little and enjoy the most for myself?

5) Concluding Prayer

For Yahweh has chosen Zion,

He has desired it as a home.

Here shall I rest for evermore,

here shall I make My home as I have wished. (Ps 132:13-14)

1) OPENING PRAYER

Lord God,

You speak Your mighty word to us,

but we cannot hear it

unless it stirs our lives

and is spoken in human terms.

Keep speaking Your word to us, Lord,

and open our hearts to it,

that it may bear fruit in us

when we do Your will

and carry out what we are sent to do.

We ask You this through Your living Word,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. "If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

3) REFLECTION

There are two versions of the Our Father: Luke (Lk 11:1-4) and Matthew (Mt 6:7-13). In Luke, the Our Father is shorter. Luke writes for the communities which came from Paganism. In Matthew the Our Father is found in the Discourse on the Mountain, in the part where Jesus orientates the disciples in the practice of the three works of piety: alms (Mt 6:1-4), prayer (Mt 6:5-15) and fasting (Mt6:16-18). The Our Father forms part of a catechesis for the converted Jews. They were accustomed to pray, but had some vices which Matthew tries to correct.

Matthew 6:7-8: The faults to be corrected. Jesus criticizes the people for whom prayer was a repetition of a magic formula, strong words addressed to God to oblige Him to respond to our needs. The acceptance of our prayer by God does not depend on the repetition of words, but on God’s goodness, on God who is love and mercy. He wants our good and knows our needs even before we pray to Him.

Matthew 6:9a: The first words: Our Father, Abba Father, is the name which Jesus uses to address Himself to God. It reveals the new relationship with God that should characterize the life of the communities (Ga 4:6; Rm 8:15). We say Our Father and not My Father . The adjective places the accent on the awareness or knowledge that we all belong to the great human family of all races and creeds. To pray to the Father is to enter in intimacy with Him. It also means to be sensitive to the cry of all the brothers and sisters who cry for their daily bread. It means to seek in the first place the Kingdom of God. The experience of God as our Father is the foundation of universal fraternity.

Matthew 6:9b-10: Three requests for the cause of God: The Name, the Kingdom, the Will. In the first part we ask that our relationship with God may be re-established again. To sanctify His name: The name JAHVE means I am with you! God knows. In this name He makes Himself known (Ex 3:11-15). The name of God is sanctified when it is used with faith and not with magic; when it is used according to its true objective, not for oppression but for the liberty or freedom of the people and for the construction of the Kingdom. The coming of the Kingdom: The only Lord and King of life is God (Is 45:21; 46:9). The coming of the Kingdom is the fulfillment of all the hopes and promises. It is life in plenitude, the overcoming of frustration suffered with human kings and governments. This Kingdom will come when the Will of God will be fully accomplished. To do His will: The will of God is expressed in His Law. His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In Heaven the sun and the stars obey the laws of their orbit and create the order of the universe (Is 48:12-13). The observance of the law of God will be a source of order and well-being for human life.

Matthew 6:11-13: Four petitions for the cause of the brothers: Bread, Pardon, Victory, Liberty. In the second part of the Our Father we ask that the relationship among persons may be restored. The four requests show how necessary it is to transform or change the structures of the community and society in order that all the sons and daughters of God may have the same dignity. The daily bread. In Exodus the people received the manna in the desert every day (Ex 16:35). Divine Providence passed through the fraternal organization, the sharing. Jesus invites us to live a new Exodus, a new fraternal way of living together which will guarantee the daily bread for all (Mt 6:34-44; Jo 6:48-51). Forgive us our debts: Every 50 years, the Jubilee Year obliged people to forgive their debts. It was a new beginning (Lv 25:8-55). Jesus announces a new Jubilee Year, a year of grace from the Lord (Lk 4:19). The Gospel wants to begin everything anew! Do not lead us into temptation, do not put us to the test: In Exodus, people were tempted and fell (Dt 9:6-12). The people complained and wanted to go back (Ex 16:3; 17:3). In the new Exodus, the temptation will be overcome by the strength which people receive from God (I Co 10:12-13). Deliver us from evil: The Evil One is Satan, who draws away from God and is a cause of scandal. He succeeds in entering in Peter (Mt 16:23) and to tempt Jesus in the desert. Jesus overcomes him (Mt 4:1-11). He tells us: Courage, I have conquered the world! (Jn 16:33).

Matthew 6:14-15: Anyone who does not forgive will not be forgiven. In praying the Our Father, we pronounce the phrase which condemns us or absolves us. We say: Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass us (Mt 6:12). We offer God the measure of pardon that we want. If we forgive very much, He will forgive us very much. If we forgive little, He will forgive little. If we do not forgive, He will not forgive us.

4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Jesus prayer says forgive our debts . In some countries it is translated as forgive our offenses . What is easier to forgive, the offenses or to forgive the debts?

Christian nations of the Northern Hemisphere (Europe and USA) pray everyday: Forgive our debts as we forgive those who are in debt to us! But they do not forgive the external debt of poor countries of the Third World. How can we explain this terrible contradiction, source of impoverishment of millions of people?

Debt, in the context of society, is not only money. In fact, in referring to people who have served time in jail we say “they have paid their debt to society”. Do we accept these people back into society? Not only have they paid their “debt”, they are often treated as having not been forgiven.

How do we forgive others in terms of immigration, documented or not, and accept them into our communities?

5) CONCLUDING PRAYER

Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,

let us acclaim His name together.

I seek Yahweh and He answers me,

frees me from all my fears. (Ps 34,3-4)

1) Opening prayer

Almighty God,

our hope and our strength,

without You we falter.

Help us to follow Christ

and to live according to Your will.

Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

3) Reflection

• The Gospel of today continues the meditation on the Sermon on the Mount. In the previous days we have reflected at length on the message of chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel. In today’s Gospel, and the following days, we meditate on the message of chapter 6 of this Gospel. The sequence of chapters 5 and 6 can help us to understand it. The following is the schema:

Matthew 5:13-12: The Beatitudes: solemn opening of the new Law

Matthew 5:13-16: The new presence in the world: Salt of the earth and light of the world

Matthew 5:17-19: The new practice of justice; relationship with the ancient law

Matthew 5:20-48: The new practice of justice: observing the new Law.

Matthew 6:1-4: The new practice of piety: alms

Matthew 6:5-15: The new practice of the works of piety: prayer

Matthew 6:16-18: The new practice of the works of piety: fasting

Matthew 6:19-21: New relationship to material goods: do not accumulate

Matthew 6:22-23: New relationship to material goods: correct vision

Matthew 6:24: New relationship to material goods: God and money

Matthew 6:25-34: New relationship to material goods: abandonment to Providence.

Today’s Gospel treats three themes: almsgiving (6:1-4), prayer (6:5-6) and fasting (6:16-18). These are three works of piety of the Jews.

• Matthew 6:1: Be careful not to parade your uprightness to attract attention. Jesus criticizes those who do good works to be seen by others (Mt 6:1). Jesus says to build up interior security not in what we do for God, but in what God does for us. From the advice that He gives comes a new type of relationship with God: “Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:4). "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Mt 6:8). "If you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive your failings” (Mt 6:14). It is a new way which opens itself now to have access to the heart of God our Father. Jesus does not allow the practice of justice and piety to be used as a means for self promotion before God and before the community (Mt 6:2,5,16).

• Matthew 6:2-4: How to practice almsgiving. To give alms is a way of sharing, and highly recommended by the first Christians (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35). The person who practices almsgiving and sharing to promote themselves before others merits exclusion from the community, as it happened to Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-11). Today, in society as well as in the Church, there are people who make great publicity of the good that they do for others. Jesus asks the contrary: do good in such a way that the left hand does not know what the right hand does. It is the total detachment and the total gift in total gratuity of the love which believes in God the Father and imitates all that He does.

• Matthew 6:5-6: How to practice prayer. Prayer places the person in direct relationship with God. Some Pharisees transformed prayer into an occasion to show themselves before others. At that time, when the trumpet sounded at the three moments of prayer; morning, noon and evening, they should stop where they were to pray. There were people who sought to be in the corners in public places, in such a way that everybody would see that they were praying. Well, such an attitude perverts our relationship with God. This is false and has no sense. This is why Jesus says that it is better to close up ourselves in our rooms to pray in secret, maintaining the authenticity of the relationship. God sees you even in secret, and He always listens to you. It is a question of a personal prayer, not of a community prayer.

• Matthew 6:16-18: How to practice fasting. At that time the practice of fasting was accompanied by some very visible external gestures: not to wash one’s face, not to comb one’s hair, to wear sober dress. These were visible signs of fasting. Jesus criticizes this form of fasting and orders the contrary, so others cannot be aware that you are fasting: bathe, use perfume, and comb your hair well. In this way, only your Father who sees in secret knows that you are fasting and He will reward you.

4) Personal questions

• When you pray where others can see you, such as at Mass, do you make a show of your praying, or do you do it humbly and without grand showy gestures?

• When you give or help someone, either at the collection, or on the street, or near others, do you talk louder or make a show of it, or do you become quieter and more private with the other person?

• It is rare these days that anyone fasts and also goes out in the manner Jesus describes. But, we have other ways to do that. When giving, or doing some manner of sacrifice for others, do you complain, or groan to others about it, or give subtle clues that you are doing this thing?

5) Concluding Prayer

Yahweh, what quantities of good things You have in store

for those who fear You,

and bestow on those who make You their refuge,

for all humanity to see. (Ps 31:19)

1) OPENING PRAYER

Lord God, from You comes the initiative of love.

You seek us out and You tell us:

I am your God; you are my people.

You love us in Jesus Christ, Your Son.

God, may our response of love

go far beyond the demands of any law.

May we seek You and commune with You

in the deepest of our being

and may we express our gratitude to You

by going to our neighbor

with a love that is spontaneous like Yours.

We ask You this through Christ our Lord.

2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

3) REFLECTION

In today’s Gospel we see how Jesus has interpreted the commandment “You shall not kill” in such a way that its observance leads to the practice of love. Besides saying “You shall not kill” (Mt 5:21), Jesus quoted four other commandments of the ancient law: you shall not commit adultery (Mt 5:27), you shall not bear false witness (Mt 5:33), eye for eye, and tooth for tooth (Mt 5:38) and, in today s Gospel, you shall love your neighbor and will hate your enemy (Mt 5:43), five times, Jesus criticizes and completes the ancient way of observing these commandments and indicates the new way to attain the objective of the law, which is the practice of love (Mt 5:22-26; 5:28-32; 5:34-37; 5:39-42; 5:44-48).

Love your enemies. In today's Gospel Jesus quotes the ancient law which says: You will love your neighbor and hate your enemy . This text is not found like this in the Old Testament. It is more a question of the mentality of the time, according to which there was no problem if a person hated his enemy. Jesus was not in agreement and says: But I tell you: if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as much? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Do not even the gentiles do as much? You must, therefore, set no bounds to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets none to His . And Jesus gives us the proof. At the hour of His death He observed that which He preached.

Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. A soldier takes the wrist of Jesus and places it on the arm of the cross, places a nail and begins to hammer it in. Several times. The blood was flowing down. The body of Jesus contorted with pain. The soldier, a mercenary, ignorant, far from knowing what he was doing, and of what was happening around him, continued to hammer as if it were a piece of the wall of his house and he had to put up a picture. At that moment Jesus prays for the soldier who tortures Him and addresses His prayer to the Father: Father, forgive them! They know not what they are doing! He loved the soldier who killed Him. Even wanting it with all their strength, the lack of humanity did not succeed to kill in Jesus His humanity and love! He will be imprisoned, they will spit on Him, will laugh and make fun of Him, they will make of Him a false king crowning Him with a crown of thorns, they will torture Him, will oblige Him to go through the streets like a criminal hearing the insults of the religious authority. On Calvary they will leave Him completely naked in the sight of all. But the poison of this lack of humanity did not succeed in suppressing the source of love and humanity which sprang from within Jesus. The water of the love which sprang from within was stronger than the poison of hatred which was coming from without. Looking at that soldier, Jesus felt sorrow and prayed for him and for all: Father, forgive them! They know not what they are doing! Jesus, in solidarity, almost excuses those who were ill treating and torturing Him. He was like a brother who goes with his murderous brothers before the judge and he, the victim of his own brothers, says to the judge: They are my brothers, you know they are ignorant. Forgive them! They will become better! He loved the enemy!

Be perfect as is your Father who is in Heaven. Jesus does not want to frighten, because this would be useless. He wants to change the system of human living altogether. The notion which He constructs comes from the new experience He has from God the Father, full of tenderness and who accepts all! The words of threat against the rich cannot be an occasion of revenge on the part of the poor. Jesus orders that we have a contrary attitude: Love your enemies! True love cannot depend on what one receives from others. Love should want the good of others independently of what they do for me. This is the way God s love is for us.

4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Am I capable to love my enemies?

Contemplate Jesus, in silence, who at the hour of His death, loved the enemy who killed Him.

5) CONCLUDING PRAYER

How blessed are those whose way is blameless,

who walk in the Law of Yahweh!

Blessed are those who observe His instructions,

who seek Him with all their hearts (Ps 119,1-2)

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

Almighty God,

our hope and our strength,

without You we falter.

Help us to follow Christ

and to live according to Your will.

Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

3) Reflection

• Today’s Gospel forms part of a small literary unit which goes from Mt 5:17 to Mt 5:48, which describes how to pass from the ancient justice of the Pharisees (Mt 5:20) to the new justice of the Kingdom of God (Mt 5:48). It describes how to go up to the Mount of the Beatitudes, from where Jesus announces the new Law of love. The great desire of the Pharisees was to live in justice, to be just before God. This is the desire of all of us. Just is the one who succeeds in living where God wants him/her to live. The Pharisees tried to attain justice through the strict observance of the Law. They thought that with their own effort they could succeed in being where God wanted them to be. Jesus takes a stand concerning this practice and announces the new justice which should surpass the justice of the Pharisees (Mt 5:20). In today’s Gospel we are almost reaching the summit of the mountain. Only a little is lacking. The summit is described in one sentence: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48), on which we will meditate in tomorrow’s Gospel. Let us look closely at this last degree which is still lacking to reach the summit of the mountain, of which Saint John of the Cross says, “Here reign silence and love.”

• Matthew 5:38: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Jesus quotes a text of the Ancient Law saying, “You have heard how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth!” He shortened the text, because the complete text said: “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow” (Ex 21:23-25). As in the previous cases, here Jesus makes a completely new rereading. The principle “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” was already found in the origin of the interpretation which the scribes made of the law. This principle should be overthrown, because it perverts and destroys the relationship among people and with God.

• Matthew 5:39ª: Do not give back evil for evil received. Jesus affirms exactly the contrary: “But I say to you do not offer resistance to the wicked.” When some violence is received, our natural reaction is to pay the other one with the same coin. Vengeance asks for “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Jesus asks to pay back the evil not with evil, but with good. Because if we do not know how to overcome the violence received, the spiral of violence will take up everything and we will not know what to do. Lamech said: For a wound received I will kill a man, and for a scar I would kill a young person. If the vengeance of Cain was worth seven, then Lamech will count for seventy-seven” (Gen 4:24). And it was precisely because of this terrible act of vengeance that everything ended in the confusion of the Tower of Babel. (Gen 11:1-9). Faithful to the teaching of Jesus, Paul writes in the letter to the Romans: “Never pay back evil with evil; let your concern be to do good to all men. Do not allow yourselves to be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:17.21). To be able to have this attitude it is necessary to have much faith in the possibility of recovery that the human being has. How can we do this in practice? Jesus offers four concrete examples.

• Matthew 5:39b-42: the four examples to overcome the spiral of violence. Jesus says: “rather (a) if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; (b) if anyone wishes to go to Law with you to get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (c) And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles with him. (d) Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away” (Mt 5:40-42). How are these four affirmations to be understood? Jesus Himself helps us to understand. When the soldier hit Him on the cheek, He did not offer the other cheek explicitly and invite another strike. Rather, by not threatening or not blocking another blow, He still “offers” the other cheek. At the same time, He reacted with energy: “If there is some offense in what I said, point it out, but if not, why do you strike Me?” (Jn 18:23) Jesus does not teach us to be passive. Saint Paul thinks that paying evil with good “you will make others be ashamed” (Rom 12:20). This faith in the possibility to recover the human being is possible only beginning from the root which comes from the total gratuity of the creative love which God shows us in the life and the attitudes of Jesus.

4) Personal questions

• Have you ever felt within you such a great anger as to want to apply the vengeance “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”? What did you do to overcome this?

• In your daily life, how would you implement or act out the four examples in Matthew 5:39b-42?

• How can these affirmations of Jesus be applied to immigration and allowing immigration into the country?

• Many times, people will agree with affirmations such as these, and then give a BUT… and proclaim exclusions, exceptions, and limitations. Consider real-life modern situations that suggest an opportunity for “turning the other cheek”, “giving more than is asked”, eye for an eye”, etc. Do you too have a BUT, or ONLY IF limitation in your answer? Would Jesus say the same thing?

5) Concluding Prayer

Give ear to my words, Yahweh,

spare a thought for my sighing.

Listen to my cry for help,

my King and my God! To You I pray. (Ps 5:1-2)

1) OPENING PRAYER

God of mercy and compassion,

you challenge us to be responsible

for the good and the evil we do

and You call us to conversion.

God, help us to face ourselves

that we may not use flimsy excuses

for covering up our wrongs.

Make us honest with ourselves,

and aware that we can always count on Jesus Christ

to be our guide and strength on the road to You,

now and for ever.

2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

3) REFLECTION

The text of today s Gospel forms part of a broader or more extensive whole: Mt 5:20 up to Mt 5:48. In these passages Matthew tells us how Jesus interprets and explains the Law of God. Five times He repeats the phrase: You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, in truth I tell you! (Mt 5:21. 27. 33.38. 43). Before, He had said: Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; no, I have come not to abolish, but to complete them (Mt 5:17). The attitude of Jesus before the Law is, at the same time, one of breaking and of continuity. He breaks away from the erroneous interpretations, but maintains firm the objective which the Law should attain: the practice of a greater justice, which is Love.

Matthew 5:20: An uprightness which surpasses that of the Pharisees. This first verse presents the general key of everything which follows in Matthew 5:20-48. The word Justice never appears in the Gospel of Mark, and it appears seven times in that of Matthew (Mt 3:15; 5:6.10.20; 6:1.33; 21:32). This has something to do with the situation of the communities for which Mark wrote. The religious ideal of the Jews of the time was to be just before God. The Pharisees taught: people attain justice before God when they succeed to observe all the norms of the law in all its details! This teaching generated a legalistic oppression and caused great anguish in the people because it was very difficult to be able to observe all the norms (cfr. Rm 7:21-24). This is why Matthew takes the words of Jesus on justice to show that it has to surpass the justice of the Pharisees (Mt, 5:20). According to Jesus, justice does not come from what I do for God in observing the law, but rather from what God does for me, accepting me as His son or as His daughter. The new ideal which Jesus proposes is the following: therefore, be perfect as is your Heavenly Father! (Mt 5:48). That means: you will be just before God when you try to accept and forgive people as God accepts and pardons me, in spite of my defects and sins.

By means of these five very concrete examples, Jesus shows us what to do in order to attain this greater justice which surpasses the justice of the  and the Pharisees. As we can see, today’s Gospel takes the example of the new interpretation of the fifth commandment: You shall not kill! Jesus has revealed what God wanted when He gave this commandment to Moses.

Matthew 5:21-22: The law says: You shall not kill! (Ex 20:13). In order to observe fully this commandment it is not sufficient to avoid murdering. It is necessary to uproot from within everything which, in one way or another, can lead to murder, for example, anger, hatred, the desire to revenge, insult, and exploitation, etc.

Matthew 5:23-24. The perfect worship which God wants. In order to be accepted by God and to remain united to Him, it is necessary to reconcile oneself with brother and sister. Before the destruction of the Temple, in the year 70, when the Christian Jews participated in the pilgrimages in Jerusalem to present their offerings at the altar and to pay their promises, they always remembered this phrase of Jesus. In the year 80, at the time when Matthew wrote, the Temple and the Altar no longer existed. They had been destroyed by the Romans. The community and the communitarian celebration became the Temple and the Altar of God.

Matthew 5:25-26: To reconcile oneself. One of the points on which the Gospel of Matthew exists the most is reconciliation. That indicates that in the communities of that time, there were many tensions among the radical groups with diverse tendencies and sometimes even opposing ones. Nobody wanted to cede to the other. There was no dialogue. Matthew enlightens this situation with the words of Jesus on reconciliation which demands acceptance and understanding. The only sin that God does not forgive is our lack of pardon toward others (Mt 6:14). That is why one should try to reconcile yourself before it is too late!

4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Today there are many people who cry out for justice! What meaning does evangelical justice have for me?

How do I behave before those who do not accept me as I am? How did Jesus behave before those who did not accept Him?

5) CONCLUDING PRAYER

From the depths I call to You, Yahweh:

Lord, hear my cry.

Listen attentively to the sound of my pleading! (Ps 130,1-2)

Ordinary Time  

1) Opening prayer

Lord our God,

Your prophets remind us

in season and out of season

of our responsibilities toward You

and toward people.

When they disturb and upset us,

let it be a holy disturbance

that makes us restless, eager to do Your will

and to bring justice and love around us.

We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

3) Reflection

• Today’s Gospel (Mt 5:17-19) teaches how to observe the law of God in such a way that its practice indicates in what its complete fulfillment consists (Mt 5:17-19). Matthew writes in order to help the communities of converted Jews to overcome the criticism of the brothers of their own race who accused them saying, “You are unfaithful to the Law of Moses.” Jesus Himself had been accused of infidelity to the Law of God. Matthew has the clarifying response of Jesus concerning His accusers. Thus, he gives some light to help the communities solve their problems.

• Using images of daily life, with simple and direct words, Jesus had said that the mission of the community, its reason for being, is to be salt and light! He had given some advice regarding each one of the two images. Then follow two or three brief verses of today’s Gospel.

• Matthew 5:17-18: Not one dot, nor one stroke is to disappear from the Law. There were several different tendencies in the communities of the first Christians. Some thought that it was not necessary to observe the laws of the Old Testament, because we are saved by faith in Jesus and not by the observance of the Law (Rm 3:21-26). Others accepted Jesus, the Messiah, but they did not accept the liberty of spirit with which some of the communities lived the presence of Jesus. They thought that being Jews they had to continue to observe the laws of the Old Testament (Acts 15:1,5). But there were Christians who lived so fully in the freedom of the Spirit, who no longer looked at the life of Jesus of Nazareth, nor to the Old Testament and they even went so far as to say, “Anathema Jesus!” (1 Cor 12:3). Observing these tensions, Matthew tries to find some balance between both extremes. The community should be a space where the balance can be attained and lived. The answer given by Jesus to those who criticized Him continued to be timely for the communities: “I have not come to abolish the law, but to complete it!” The communities could not be against the Law, nor could they close themselves off in the observance of the law. Like Jesus, they should advance, and show, in practice, what was the objective which the law wanted to attain in the life of people, that is, in the perfect practice of love.

• Matthew 5:19: Not one dot or stroke will disappear from the Law. It is for those who wanted to get rid of all the law that Matthew recalls the other parable of Jesus: “Anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” The great concern in Matthew’s Gospel is to show that the Old Testament, Jesus of Nazareth and the life in the Spirit cannot be separated. The three of them form part of the same and unique plan of God and communicate to us the certainty of faith: The God of Abraham and of Sarah is present in the midst of the community by faith in Jesus of Nazareth who sends us His Spirit.

4) Personal questions

• Laws are written in the negative: “thou shall not...”. Love is performed in the positive: as service, caring, helping. It is the same with virtues and vices, which each address in a positive and negative way. Take each Commandment and rewrite it in a positive way of action that conforms to an act of love. Can it be done? Can you do what it demands?

• What can we do today for our brothers and sisters who believe faith in Jesus does not demand action as well? How would you approach that attitude? Is yours a faith and a life that shows love in action, or would someone who observes you say they see talk, but not much action as well?

5) Concluding Prayer

Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem,

Zion, praise Your God.

For He gives strength to the bars of your gates,

He blesses your children within you. (Ps 145:12-13)

1) Opening prayer

God of wisdom and love,

source of all good,

send Your Spirit to teach us Your truth

and guide our actions

in Your way of peace.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

3) Reflection

•  Today in the Gospel we receive an important instruction on the mission of the community. It should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16). Salt does not exist for itself, but to give flavor to the food. Light does not exist for itself, but for the service of people. At the time when Matthew wrote his Gospel, this mission was very difficult for the communities of converted Jews. Although  they were living in faithful observance of the Law of Moses, they were expelled from the synagogues, cut away from their Jewish past. Regarding this, among the converted pagans, some said, “After the coming of Jesus, the Law of Moses has become obsolete.” All this caused tension and uncertainty. The openness of some seemed to be criticism of the observance of others, and vice versa. This conflict brought about a crisis which led many to become adamant in their own position. Some wanted to advance, to go ahead, while others wanted to place the light under the table. Many asked themselves, “In the final analysis, what is our mission?” Recalling and updating the words of Jesus, Matthew tries to help them.

• Matthew 5:13-16: Salt of the earth. By using images of daily life, with simple and direct words, Jesus makes known what the mission is and the reason for being a Christian community: to be salt. At that time, when it was very hot, people and animals needed to consume much salt. The salt, which was delivered by merchants in great blocks in the public square, was consumed by the people. What remained fell to the ground and lost its savor. “It no longer serves for anything, but it is thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Jesus recalls this practice in order to clarify for the disciples the mission which they have to carry out.

• Matthew 5:14-16: Light of the world. The comparison is obvious. Nobody lights a candle and places it under the tub. A city built on the hill top cannot be hidden. The community should be light; it should enlighten. It should not be afraid to show the good that it does. It does not do it to make itself seen, but what it does can be seen. The salt does not exist for itself. The light does not exist for itself. This is how the community should be. It cannot remain enclosed in itself. “Your light must shine in people’s sight, so that seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in Heaven.”

• Matthew 5:17-19: Not one dot, not one little stroke will disappear from the Law. Among the converted Jews there were two tendencies. Some thought that it was not necessary to observe the laws of the Old Testament because we are saved by the faith in Jesus and not by the observance of the Law (Rm 3:21-26). There are Christian groups today that believe only this as well. Others thought that they should continue to observe the laws of the Old Testament (Acts 15:1-2). In each of the two tendencies there were even more radical groups. Before this conflict, Matthew tries to find a balance, the equilibrium, over and above the two extremes. The community should be the space where this equilibrium can be attained and lived. The response given by Jesus continued to be very timely: “I have not come to abolish the law, but to complete it!” The communities cannot be against the Law, nor can they close themselves off in the observance of the law. Like Jesus, they must move forward and show in a practical way that the objective which the law wants to attain in life is the perfect practice of love.

Jesus completes the law by His summation: to love one another. He sums it up by example, as well as His instruction (Mk 12:31-33). To believe in Jesus is not just believing some history, it is also believing who Jesus is, and therefore, the importance of following His instruction. To love, and to work in imitation of Jesus in love, demands outward action and a sincere concern and care for every brother and sister in the world, all of God’s children, starting with our community.

•The different tendencies in the first Christian communities. The plan of salvation has three stages united among themselves from the earth to life: a) the Old Testament: the path of the Hebrew people, orientated, guided by the Law of God. b) The life of Jesus of Nazareth: it renews the Law of Moses starting from His experience of God, Father and Mother. c) The life of the communities: through the spirit of Jesus, they tried to live as Jesus lived it. The union of these three stages generates the certainty of faith that God is in our midst. The intention to break or weaken the unity of this plan of salvation gave rise to various groups and tendencies in the communities:

i) The Pharisees did not recognize Jesus as Messiah and accepted only the Old Testament. In the communities there were some people who sympathized with the thought of the Pharisees (Acts 15:5).

ii) Some converted Jews accepted Jesus as Messiah, but they did not accept the liberty of spirit with which the communities lived the presence of the risen Jesus. (Acts 15:1).

iii) Others, both converted Jews and pagans, thought that, with Jesus, had come the end of the Old Testament: from now on, Jesus alone and the life in the Spirit.

iv) There were also Christians who lived so fully the life in the liberty of the Spirit, that they no longer looked at the life of Jesus of Nazareth, nor the Old Testament (1Cor 12:3).

v) Now the great concern of the Gospel of Matthew is to show that the Old Testament, Jesus of Nazareth and the life in the Spirit cannot be separated. The three form part of the same and only plan of God and give us the central certainty of faith: The God of Abraham and of Sarah is present in the midst of the communities by faith in Jesus of Nazareth.

4) Personal questions

• Salt and light are taken for granted today. We have salt in all of our food and electric lights at any time. What would you choose to use instead of salt and light for examples today, and why?

• Through modern travel and technology, our community can be seen (observed) by those next door or by other people or communities across the globe. Is our community a “city on a hill” for the worldwide community? How can we be salt and light for someone nearby as well as in another country?

• Those Jesus sent on the mission went out and did not sit at home or in an office waiting to be visited. How do we “go out” to meet others and other communities near and far on our mission, as individuals, as an individual local community, or as a larger  community?

5) Concluding Prayer

Yahweh judiciously guides the humble,

instructing the poor in His way.

Kindness unfailing and constancy mark all His paths,

for those who keep His covenant and His decrees. (Ps 25:9-10)

1) Opening prayer

God of wisdom and love,

source of all good,

send Your Spirit to teach us Your truth

and guide our actions

in Your way of peace.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up onto the mountain. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

Then He began to speak. This is what He taught them:

How blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Blessed are the gentle; they shall have the earth as inheritance.

Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness; they shall have their fill.

Blessed are the merciful; they shall have mercy shown them.

Blessed are the pure in heart; they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be recognized as children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of righteousness; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

3) Reflection

• From today, beginning of the 10th week of Ordinary Time, up to the end of the 21st Week of Ordinary time, the daily Gospels are taken from  Matthew. Starting from the beginning of the 22^nd week of Ordinary Time, up to the end of the Liturgical Year, the Gospels are taken from  Luke.

• In Matthew’s Gospel, written for the communities of the converted Jews of Galilee and Syria, Jesus is presented as the New Moses, the new legislator. In the Old Testament the Law of Moses was codified in five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Imitating the ancient model, Matthew presents the New Law in five great discourses spread over in the Gospel: a) the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1 to 7:29); b) the Discourse on the Mission (Mt 10:1-42); c) The Discourse of the Parables (Mt 13:1-52); d) The Discourse of the Community (Mt 18:1-35); e) The Discourse on the Future of the Kingdom (Mt 24:1 – 25:46). The narrative parts, which have been put in among the five Discourses, describe the practice of Jesus and show how He observed the New Law and incarnated it in His life.

• Matthew 5: 1-2: The solemn announcement of the New Law. In agreement with the context of the Gospel of Matthew, in the moment when Jesus pronounces the Sermon on the Mount, there were only four disciples with Him (cf. Mt 4:18-22). Few people. But an immense multitude was behind Him (Mt 4: 25). In the Old Testament, Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive the Law of God. As it happened to Moses, Jesus went up to the Mountain, and seeing the crowd, He proclaimed the New Law. The solemn way in which Matthew introduces the proclamation of the New Law is significant: “Seeing the crowds, He went onto the mountain. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He began to speak. This is what He taught them: How blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs”. The eight Beatitudes open in a solemn way the “Sermon on the Mount” – the sermon on the mountain. In them Jesus defines who can be considered blessed, who can enter into the Kingdom. There are eight categories of persons, eight entrance doors to the Kingdom, for the community. There are no other entrances! Anyone who wants to enter into the Kingdom should identify himself with at least one of these eight categories.

• Matthew 5: 3: Blessed are the poor in spirit. Jesus acknowledges the richness and the value of the poor (Mt 11: 25-26). He defines His own mission in these words: “to proclaim the Good News to the poor” (Lk 4:18). He Himself lives in poverty. He possesses nothing for Himself, not even a stone where to rest His head (Mt 8:20). And to anyone who wants to follow Him,  He offers a choice: God or money! (Mt 6:24). In Luke’s Gospel it is said, “Blessed are you who are poor!” (Lk 6:20). But who is poor in spirit? It is the poor person who has the same spirit that animated Jesus. It is not the rich person, neither the poor person who has the mentality of a rich person. But rather it is the poor person who acts as Jesus: he thinks of the poor and recognizes the value in him. It is the poor person who says, “I think that the world will be better when the little one who suffers thinks of the least.”

1. Blessed the poor in spirit => for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

2. Blessed the meek => they shall have the earth as inheritance

3. Blessed those who mourn => they will be consoled

4. Blessed those who hunger and thirst for justice => they shall have their fill

5. Blessed are the merciful => they shall have mercy shown them

6. Blessed are the pure in heart => they shall see God

7. Blessed are the peacemakers => they shall be recognized as children of God

8. Blessed those persecuted for the cause of justice => theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

• Matthew 5: 4-9: The new project of life. Every time that in the Bible they try to renew the Covenant, they begin by re-establishing the rights of the poor and the excluded. Without this, the Covenant cannot be renewed! This is the way the Prophets did, this is how Jesus did. In the Beatitudes, He announces the new Project of God, which accepts the poor and the excluded. It denounces the system which excludes the poor and which persecutes those who fight for justice. The first category of the “poor in spirit” and the last category of those “persecuted for the cause of justice” receive the same promise of the Kingdom of Heaven. And they receive it beginning now, in the present, because Jesus says, “theirs is the Kingdom!” The Kingdom is already present in their life. Between the first and the last category, there are six other categories which receive the promise of the Kingdom. In them there is the new project of life which wants to reconstruct life totally through a new type of relationship: with material goods (the first two); with persons among themselves (2^nd two); with God (3^rd two). The Christian community should be an example of this Kingdom, a place where the Kingdom begins and takes shape, beginning now.

• The three duos: First one: the meek and those who mourn: the meek are those poor of whom Psalm 37 speaks. They have been deprived of their land and they will inherit it again (Ps 37: 11; cf. Ps 37:22,29,34). Those who mourn are those who weep in the face of injustices in the world and in people (cf. Ps 119:136; Ezek 9:4; Tob 13:16; 2 Pet 2:7). These two Beatitudes want to reconstruct the relationship with material goods: the possession of the land and of the reconciled world.

Second duo: those who hunger and thirst for justice and the merciful: Those who are hungry and thirsty for justice are those who desire to renew human living together, in such a way that once again it may be according to the demands of justice. The merciful are those who feel in their heart the misery of others because they want to eliminate the inequality among brothers and sisters. These two Beatitudes want to reconstruct the relationship among persons through the practice of justice and solidarity.

Third duo: The pure in heart and the peacemakers: The pure in heart are those who have a contemplative look which allows them to perceive the presence of God in everything. Those who promote peace, the peacemakers, will be called children of God, because they make an effort so that a new experience of God can penetrate in everything and can integrate all things. These two Beatitudes want to build up the relationship with God: to see the presence of God which acts in everything, and be called son and daughter of God.

• Matthew 5:10-12: The persecuted for the cause of justice and of the Gospel. The Beatitudes say exactly the contrary of what society in which we live says. In fact, in society, those who are persecuted for the cause of justice are considered as unhappy, wretched persons. The poor are unhappy. Blessed is the one who has money and can go to the supermarket and spend as she wishes. Blessed is the one who is hungry for power. The unhappy and wretched are the poor, those who weep! In television, the soap operas diffuse this myth of the happy and fulfilled person. And without being aware, the soap operas become the model of life for many of us. Is there still place in our society for these words of Jesus: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice and of the Gospel? Blessed are the poor! Blessed are those who weep!”? And from my own perspective, being a Christian, whom do I consider  blessed?

4) Personal questions

• We all want to be happy. All of us! But are we truly happy? Why yes? Why no? How can we understand that a person can be poor and happy at the same time?

• In which moments of your life have you felt truly happy? Was it a happiness like the one proclaimed by Jesus in the Beatitudes, or was it of another type?

5) Concluding Prayer

I lift up my eyes to the mountains;

where is my help to come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth. (Ps 121:1-2)