The Sermon on the Mount opens with the Beatitudes – Jesus’s succinct definition of the demands of the New Covenant that he is forging with his disciples. As Moses on Mount Sinai delivered the Law, Jesus on Mount Tabor delivers the fulfillment of the Law.
In every subsequent generation the Beatitudes have challenged the Church discipleship and to live the demands of the Gospel in new ways. As the Decalogue serve as the synthesis for the Old Law, so the Beatitudes stand as the synthesis of the New Law. While the Old Law, covenanted through Moses, is still in effect, not only for those who are initiated into the law, but also for us who are baptized into the New, the New perfects and fulfills the Old.
It is evident that the Old Law places certain demands on its adherents, but that those demands are punitive and restrictive. Through its emphasis on what one ought not to do the Law serves primarily to temper human passion and learn to respect the property and rights of others.
The New Law goes beyond the prohibitions to the underlying virtues that call for perfection. We no longer draw our focus on the “shall not” but rather on the “ought.” This shifting focus helps us to learn more fully what the demands of the Law suggest rather than feeling restricted and confined. When laws restrict we look for ways to ease their burden and diminish their application. We can imagine and argue for certain exceptions to the laws and to suggest situations in which they do not apply.
This is not reasonably possible with the Beatitudes. We value some of the ideals that they suggest, even though most of them stand in contradiction to the values of the world. While we long to be peacemakers and honor those who strive for peace we do not hold the virtues of poverty of spirit or meekness in the same esteem.
Pope Francis noted in a homily this past summer: “I’m not saying it is the key to all of them, but it induces us to much reflection and it is: Blessed are the meek. Meekness.”
Of all the virtues espoused by Jesus this is also no doubt the most misunderstood and misaligned by the culture. Society views meekness as passivity and weakness. Jesus challenges us to see meekness as a sign of strength and courage. Clearly these are contrary positions that we as disciples of Jesus are called to reconcile in our lives.
There are two figures in the Old Testament who are recognized for their meekness, Moses and King David. These are also the two greatest leaders among the people. Jesus also identifies himself as meek (“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Mt. 11:29). Their meekness is clearly not weakness but strength. How are we to understand this sense of meekness then?
Meekness is our disposition before God first which is then reflected in our interactions with others. The truly meek person, according to the reflections of an ancient homily on the subject: “when he or she has been offended, neither does evil nor even thinks of doing it.” Hence we can see that meekness demands that purity of heart and poverty of spirit that enables one to surrender his or her will to God in such a way as to allow God to be the source of the strength and power that emanates from that person. The strength in meekness then is the power of God active and present in our lives.
That sense of surrender to the Lord is the first step in our journey to meekness, and as we continue to grow in humility we can only be stronger in the affirmation and living out of our faith.
Feb. 5 – We must reflect the goodness of God in all we do
We all know people who are called the “salt of the earth.” Although many of us would be hard pressed to offer a definition of that what exactly that means, we all know such people when we meet them. This expression has its roots in this Sunday’s Gospel, as Jesus challenges His disciples to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”
Jesus tells us we must be like salt. Yes, salt, you know the condiment we find on every table, and throw on the streets to melt ice … that salt. Why salt? We take salt for granted even though, like water, it is essential for life. We use it to prevent spoilage, cure meat, flavor our food and even to heal wounds. Without it, food goes bad and a people on the brink of starvation find what little food they have, gone. Salt was an extremely valuable commodity in the ancient world and was for much of history even more valuable than precious gems and metals. For the Israelites it was plentiful. In the region of the Dead Sea – the saltiest body of water on earth – the salt pillars are aplenty.
While we know from our readings a few weeks ago Jesus is the “light of the world.” We are called also to be the light, not from ourselves but one that reflects the light of Jesus. We might say that Jesus is the light (like the sun) that is reflected in his disciples (like the moon).
In order for us to grasp the analogy that Jesus is making here, we need to read the Gospel passage in light of the First Reading from the prophet Isaiah. He tells us: “share your bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless and oppressed. Clothe the naked when you see them and do not turn your back on your own.” The demand comes with a promise: “Then you shall call and the Lord will answer, you shall call for help and He will say, ‘here I am.’”
As we become the salt of the earth, we become a light to the nations. Our words and actions become a prayer, a glorification of God to the world. We must be first salt before we can become a light on a lamp stand.
We do not have to go far to find the needy, they are in our midst in many ways. Our communities are filled with the economic poor. There are recent immigrants among us who need to be welcomed into our communities. We have crowded hospitals and nursing homes. In the workplace, at school, the supermarket, there are people who feel lost and abandoned by the world, by the Church and by God. Jesus tells us that in reaching out to them and by touching their lives in immediate and simple ways that the loving mercy of God is made present in the world. We are the salt of the earth becoming a light to those enveloped in darkness.
This is not just a call to volunteering which has become so popular in the past decades. While that is worthwhile work, and on the outside looks the same as fulfilling the baptismal commitment, as Christians we are called to do so not so that we can “look good” or so that we can feel good about ourselves. We do what is good because it brings glory to God. The benefit to us is a spiritual one it serves to strengthen our relationship to God. Then, and only then, can we authentically leads others to Christ, which is the sign of our value as salt and light.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.