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Jesus sat upon the mountain to give the new and definitive teaching from God, just as Moses had once gone up a mountain to receive God's message. This teaching is called the Sermon on the Mount. It describes the inner reality of those who follow the new commandment of Jesus to love others as he himself as loved us. He does not simply tell us to love and leave us to our own devices. He describes the inner reality of the heart which makes such love possible. As we listen to him it becomes clear that hearts called to love as Jesus loved can only do so by a profound grace of transformation.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
We may or may not be materially poor, but to receive the Kingdom we must lay up treasure in heaven and not on earth (see Matthew 6:19-21). We are called to be free from the mindset of the world regarding the necessity of wealth. The temptation is to think that this life is the only one and to try to preserve it at any cost. When we believe this life is all we have we also tend to believe we can only make an impact with big projects requiring massive resources, but to devalue the small acts of love, acts that actually matter more in bringing about the Kingdom. And it is the Kingdom which will endure.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
The world's wisdom insists that we should never feel any sorrow if we can avoid it. But the Kingdom tells us that hearts that do not mourn are hearts which are in denial about the brokenness of the world. We should not close our hearts to the impact of our sins and those of others. Contrition is the call to recognize that we have wounded the one we should love above all others. We are called to long for and be open to healing for brokenness when we find it, rather than ignoring it. Mourning recognizes the world as it is but opens upward to God for healing and for comfort. Nor indeed does this mean we go about from sorrow to sorrow. For God responds to our desire for comfort with supernatural aide. He sends the Comforter (see John 14:16) so that we can even now begin to experience the reality in which all things will be restored and healed. Mourning happens on a natural level but can always received as a call to turn toward the Spirit.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Meekness is strength under control. It avoids the temptation to force things that are not in our competence to control. It requires a profound trust in God so that we don't try to rely on our own strength further than it is meant to carry us, but to still not simply collapse and roll over in the face of opposition.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
We want righteousness. We want justice. But do we hunger and thirst for it? How much does our desire for these things translate to genuine motivation? It may seem to be in inapt metaphor, because, after all, how can such elusive things satisfy us as food and drink do? Jesus shows that when righteousness is our desire there is a way that it can be satisfied even here and now.
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (see John 4:34)
In order to be forgiven we must be willing to forgive. Mercy comes to those who are willing to be changed by it, those who are willing to become agents of mercy to others. Mercy cannot help the heart that only wants to be excused but remain unchanged. The result of mercy is not just freedom from guilt but a new heart rendered capable of loving as Jesus loved.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
We are called to let go of all of the things that pull us away from the vision of God. This means not only in worship in Church, but also as he is found in the poor and in the least of these. Our hearts have so many attachments to things seem like genuine goods until we realize they are keeping us from discovering God at work in the world around us. We can grow in this purity by spending time and intentional awareness gazing on God, for that gaze itself is what transforms us. It isn't that we somehow purify ourselves. It is the light from the source of light that cleanses our vision.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
We are called to be peacemakers, makers and maintainers of peace. We are called to insist on the rightness of peace in the face even of violent opposition. Whenever possible we must assist in helping people and nations to find a peace that is based on righteousness. This peace is ultimately dependent on peace between individuals and God, so we try to lead others to reconciliation not just among themselves but with the Father.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
The place of Jesus himself in our hearts, a place which we cannot allow persecution or trial to usurp, is what matters the most if we want to be able to love others. Only Jesus knows what true love is and can empower us to live lives marked by it. Only he can change our hearts with these teachings from the mountain.
The good news is that, difficult though it sounds, Jesus is more than able to change willing hearts. Heaven is not sparsely populated. It is filled with those saints, known and unknown, who have let him do so. Let us turn to him today, so that, with the help of those who have gone before us, we may one day "see him as he is".
After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb.”
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