Pastor's Corner

The Gospel reading for Sunday is the first teaching discourse of Jesus known as the Sermon on the Mount. It is a treasury of Christian moral and ethical teaching that remains relevant to modern life. After His announcement of the coming of the Kingdom of heaven, large crowds have begun to follow Jesus. But are they truly His followers? Or are they just curious? The Sermon on the Mount explains what it means to be His disciple. As the first of five discourses in the Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount is therefore the divine expectation that reaching the eternal Kingdom of Heaven entails not only listening to, but accepting and living out Jesus’ teachings right here and right now. Jesus calls His disciples to a radical devotion and radical acceptance of the demands of God. Authentic disciples are called to live for God, not for themselves. They are not to ‘do the right thing’ only when others are looking, but are always to ‘do the right thing’ at all times, knowing that God sees deep into the hearts of His children. It will not always be easy to follow after Him, for His values are a complete reversal of the world’s values. This teaching is also known as the Beatitudes because they begin with the words ‘blessed are’. In Greek, these two words have the sense of happiness. Happiness in this section does not mean a subjective feeling or emotion. Rather, it means a favorable standing in the grace of God’s Covenant. Covenant blessings are the many gifts the Father pours out on His children. The blessedly happy are those whose sins are forgiven, who have faith in God, and receive God’s life as His adopted children in the family of God. The blessedly happy are those who love God, obey His commandments, and follow Him wholeheartedly. As one of your New Year resolutions, consider taking each of the Beatitudes to prayer, reflecting on how well you are living them out or not. Your spiritual life will be deepened by interiorizing each of the Beatitudes. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Amen.

Fr. Eric