Servant of the Word: Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Sermon on the Mount” (detail) by Cosimo Rosselli,1481-82

Readings for Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Commentary on 2 Cor 1:1-7

This passage contains the Apostle’s introduction to this second letter and his message of solidarity with the Church in Corinth. The address is to Timothy who was with St. Paul when he established the Christian Community (inferred by Acts18:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:1). While the Greek translation is a bit confused, the point being made is that St. Paul shares the suffering of Christ and in doing so shares in His saving work. The Corinthians who are suffering persecution and hardships receive this same consolation with Christ and likewise share in the Savior's mission.

CCC: 2 Cor 1 2627; 2 Cor 1:3-7 2627

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving and a favorite for celebrating the heroic virtue of the saints. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom. The Lord in his faithful love always hears those who call to him for help and salvation.

CCC: Ps 34:3 716; Ps 34:8 336

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Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Commentary on Mt 5:1-12

This section of the Sermon on the Mount begins the first of five great discourses in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He begins using a formula common in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”(Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:13; Sirach 25:8-9) This designation identifies those without material resources, completely dependent upon God. (This distinction is for the devout poor.) The discourse continues blessing those who mourn, who are meek, who “hunger” for righteousness (to adopt the Lord’s law of love in their hearts), the merciful, the clean of heart (those who are reconciled to God), the peacemakers, the persecuted, and finally those who will be reviled because they profess faith in Christ.

The litany of praises for those to be blessed by the Lord has an overarching theme. It holds up the spiritual strength of complete dependence on God for life, health, and prosperity. St. Matthew captures the strength in that dependence, and God’s promise of salvation through the words of the Savior.

It is noteworthy that the word “Blessed” [μακάριοι (makάrios) in Greek and Beati in Latin] is translated “Happy” in many Old Testament texts. The idea of happiness or peace as a blessing from God is an important understanding about the intent of this discourse.

CCC: Mt 5:1 581; Mt 5:3-12 1716; Mt 5:3 544, 2546; Mt 5-7 2763; Mt 5-6 764; Mt 5:8 1720, 2518; Mt 5:9 2305, 2330; Mt 5:11-12 520

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Reflection:

The message reiterated in sacred scripture, first by St. Paul to the Church at Corinth and then recorded by St. Matthew from the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, is that God, in his trinity of persons, provides strength and consolation to those who suffer.

St. Paul speaks of these sufferings in a very generic way. He attempts to hearten the Corinthians; telling them that he suffers for the mission he has undertaken. In doing so he shares the suffering of Christ who endured rejection and his great passion for our sake. In sharing Christ’s sufferings, St. Paul also shares in the consolation of the Father. The Apostle receives affirmation from God and the Holy Spirit infuses him with new courage and strength. In a rather convoluted chain of logic, he explains that, just as he shares Christ’s sufferings and thereby a share of the Lord’s salvation, so too the Corinthians who suffer share in that same affirmation, deriving the same benefit from it.

St. Matthew’s Gospel enumerates the challenges and suffering that merit God’s consolation. Addressing those who have come to the Lord seeking help in their time of need, Jesus assures those listening that, unlike the message delivered by many of the Jewish leadership, God loves the poor, the materially poor and those who despair at their burdens. Just as Jewish tradition held that physical maladies were a sign of God’s displeasure, they also taught that material prosperity was a sign that God was pleased with them, smiled on them. Therefore wealth had become a symbol of God’s outpoured grace. Using the same logic, lack of material wealth in the extreme was also construed as a punishment for some unnamed sin. Jesus refuted that idea totally with the Beatitudes.

The message that clearly flows from both accounts is that we have access to God’s love and mercy regardless of our situation. And, as is so dramatically demonstrated in the ancient “Footsteps in the Sand” story, the more desperate our situation, the more Jesus bears all things in union with us. Our faith allows us to carry these immensely heavy burdens because we carry them in union with Christ.

Our challenge, of course, is being able to accept that help and that strength. Like the world-class athlete that must train in order to build strength, endurance, and skill necessary to excel, we too must work hard at building up our spiritual strength so that when it is needed, even the most difficult situations we face will be lifted up because there is nothing that can withstand the consolation and mercy of God.

Today we rededicate ourselves to that task. Through prayer, study, and worship we ready ourselves to take on a world dedicated to the destruction of light. We prepare ourselves to be a blessing to that world.

Pax

[1] S.S. Commemoratio

[2] The picture used is “Sermon on the Mount” (detail) by Cosimo Rosselli,1481-82