Gospel for Sunday, January 29: Matthew 5: 1-12
IV Sunday A
1Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the mountain: he sat down and his disciples approached him. 2He began to speak and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be consoled. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10Blessed are those persecuted for justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when they insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and exult, for great is your reward in heaven. For thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Mt 5: 1-12
Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Misericordie, I am Carlo Miglietta, doctor, biblical scholar, layman, husband, father and grandfather (www.buonabibbiaatutti.it).
Also today I share with you a short meditation thought on the Gospel, with special reference to the theme of mercy.
THE CONDITIONS FOR ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
We have two versions of Jesus’ speech on the Beatitudes. Luke’s (Lk 6,17-26) is the proclamation of the Kingdom of God which has come to save men; what Matthew (Mt 5.1-12) instead sees in the Sermon on the Mount is first and foremost a life program, a moral teaching for the Church. “Although Jesus’ words may seem poetic to us, they nevertheless go very against the current of what is usual, what is done in society…; the world is taking us towards another lifestyle” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et exsultate, no. 65)
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
The poor: In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, that of the LXX, the term ptochòs, poor (from ptòssò, accatto), appears about a hundred times, translating Hebrew words which always have the meaning of material poverty.
The God of the poor: In the Bible there is a real “theology of the cry of the poor” which is always heard by God (Ex 3.7; 22.21-26; Dt 24.14-15; Jas 5.4 -5…). The Gospel is first and foremost the “good news announced to the poor” (Mt 11.5; Luke 7.22), who are the privileged recipients of the Kingdom that comes: “theirs is the Kingdom of God”!
“Yours is the Kingdom”: There is no mention of a final, eschatological reward. The first beatitude specifies to the poor that the kingdom of God “is” theirs: in Jesus now “the Kingdom of God is near”, “the kingdom of God has come to you” (Mt 12.28; Lk 11.20) .
Choosing the poor: The Beatitudes are an invitation to always be on the side of the poor, the least, the marginalized, the oppressed, concretely. We often mitigate the harshness of Jesus’ words by understanding them in a spiritual sense, but Saint Basil states: “This is who the poor in Spirit are: they are those who are poor for no other reason than because of the Spirit of the Lord”.
At the school of the poor: Pope Francis writes: “I want a poor Church for the poor… It is necessary that we all allow ourselves to be evangelized by them” (Evangelii gaudium, n. 198).
BLESSED THOSE WHO ARE CRYING
Those who are in tears: Afflicted, pèntos, translates ‘ebel, and expresses not so much an internal sadness, but its explosion outside. “The world offers us the opposite: fun, enjoyment, distraction, leisure, and tells us that this is what makes life good” (Gaudete et exsultate, n, 75).
“Cry with those who cry”: “The person who sees things as they really are…, feels that the other is flesh of his flesh, is not afraid to get close to the point of touching his wound… Thus it is possible to welcome that exhortation of Saint Paul: «Weep with those who mourn» (Rm 12,15)” (Gaudete et exultate, n. 76).
Jesus the afflicted conquers death: Jesus, the Son of God is not only on the side of those who suffer: he himself suffers, shares the human experience of finitude, subsuming all the evil and pain (Mk 1,41; 6, 34; 8.2; Mt 9.36; 14, 14; 20.34; Luke 7.13) and conquering them with his Resurrection.
God is cheerful: God enjoys benefiting men (Jer 32.41); he is the God who “rejoices with joy over you…, rejoices over you with shouts of joy” (Zeph 3:17-18). “The kingdom of God is… joy” (Rom 14:17; cf. Is 9:2; 12:2-6; Zeph 3:14-18; Joel 2:21, 23; Lam 4:21). Jesus was a joyful man, who knew how to enjoy friendship, good food, the beauties of nature which he mentions many times in his parables. In Jesus there is the “chara pepleromène”, the “full joy” (Jn 15.11; 16.24; 1 Jn 1.4; 2 Jn 12).
The duty of joy: “My brothers, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 3.1; cf. Phil 4.4-5; 1 Thess 5.18); “Rejoice with unspeakable and glorious joy” (1 Pt 1,6-9). “It is therefore not a simple wish or an exhortation, but an order, an apostolic command… This implies the effort of fighting against the temptation of sadness, a subtle “worm of the heart” (Evagrius)” (E. Whites), even in tribulation (Acts 5.41; 2 Cor 7.4; Phil 2.17-18; Col 1.24; 1 Thess 1.6; Phil 4.4-5).
BLESSED ARE THE MYTHS
The meek: The meek (praeis) are the meek, the submissive, the available, serene, optimistic. “Meekness is nothing other than that aspect of humility which manifests itself in the affability implemented in relationships with others” (J. Dupont). Jesus presents himself as a model of meekness: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11.29).
Meekness, political virtue: “The whole earth is a gift (inheritance) of God to the people, to be inhabited without violence, in meekness, in peace and mutual hospitality… This is why only the meek “own” the earth… Meekness , nonviolence, is announced by the gospel of Jesus not as the most apolitical, but as the most political of virtues” (E. Peyretti).
Clothe yourselves with meekness: Jesus the meek will ask of him the same attitude: “Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors” (Mt 5,38-44). Paul invites Christians to “put on… meekness (pràutes)” (Col 3:12). “Interior firmness, which is the work of grace, protects us from allowing ourselves to be carried away by the violence that invades social life” (Gaudete et exsultate, n. 116).
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGRY AND THIRST FOR JUSTICE
Hungry and thirsty for justice: Hungry, peinòn, corresponds to the adjective rà’èb: they are not those who have an appetite, but those who are deprived of indispensable nourishment: the true translation would be “ravenous”. “Such justice… is expressed in «helping the oppressed, doing justice to the orphan, defending the cause of the widow» (Is 1,17)” (Gaudete et exultate, n. 79).
BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL
Being merciful: The first of the Hebrew terms that designates mercy is rehamin, which properly expresses the bowels, the seat of emotions, our “heart”: it is a plural form of réhèm, the maternal breast. In Latin misericors (gen.: misericordis) derives from misereor (I pity the miserable) and cor (gen.: cordis (heart): it means having a heart that pities the miserable.
“Be merciful, as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6.36): Being merciful arises from our call to imitatio Dei, to try to be like God (Lk 6.36): and God is mercy (Ex 34, 6).
The merciful will find mercy: To the merciful, Jesus promises nothing other than what they already experience: mercy. The merciful already live by the very life of God.
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART
The pure: When we talk about “purity” we often think of something inherent to sexuality, the sixth or ninth commandment. But for the Bible everything that pertains to the sphere of God is pure, everything that belongs to him. He who belongs to God, who is close to him, who is closely linked to him, is pure.
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
Peacemakers: Eirenopoiòi, indicates not only the attitude of those who try not to have conflicts with anyone, but the active behavior of those who truly become builders of peace, a man of reconciliation and communion with everyone.
BLESSED ARE THEY PERSECUTED FOR JUSTICE…, BLESSED WHEN THEY INSULT YOU
Persecuted for justice: They are those who are persecuted because of their Faith in Jesus or their Charity towards their brothers. This can lead to martyrdom: martyrìa means “witness” (John 9.22; 12.42).
Martyrdom, a call for all: “In such an alienated society, trapped in a political, media, economic, cultural and even religious plot that hinders authentic human and social development, living the Beatitudes becomes difficult and can even be frowned upon , suspected, ridiculed” (Gaudete et exsultate, nn. 90-91).
Rejoice and rejoice!: The Beatitude of Persecution ends with a strange command: “When they insult you and persecute you…, rejoice and rejoice!” (Mt 5,11-12). There is still a great reminder of that joy that must always characterize the Christian, even in persecution.
BE LIKE JESUS
The Beatitudes “are a kind of self-portrait of Christ, they are an invitation to follow him and commune with him” (Veritatis splendor, n. 16). Jesus is the model of the Beatitudes: Jesus is the poor (Lk 2,11-12; cf. Mt 8,20), the afflicted (Mk 1,41; 6,34; 8,2; Lk 22,44; Mt 26 -27), the meek (Mt 11.29; Is 53.7, the just, the mercy of the Father (Phil 2.5-11), the pure of heart, Peace (Eph 2.14-17; Jn 14 ,27; 16,33; Col 3,15; Phil 4,7), the persecuted (Mk 3,21; Lk 4,28-29; Jn 6,66…).
Happy Mercy to all!
Anyone who would like to read a more complete exegesis of the text, or some insights, please ask me at migliettacarlo@gmail.com.