The Sermon on the Mount
Carl Heinrich Bloch [Web Gallery of Art]
Readings
(New American Bible:
Philippines, USA)
Readings
(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
Gospel Matthew 5:17-37 (New Revised
Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)
Jesus said to his
disciples:
‘Do not
think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to
abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass
away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law
until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one
of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be
called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.
‘You have
heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and
“whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if
you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to
judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable
to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the
hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you
remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave
your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or
sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with
your accuser while you are on the way to court with
him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the
guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will
never get out until you have paid the last penny.
‘You have
heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you
that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery
with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out
and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for
your whole body to be thrown into hell. And
if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is
better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into
hell.
‘It was also
said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of
divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on
the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a
divorced woman commits adultery.
‘Again, you
have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear
falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to
you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of
God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot
make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”;
anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Shorter form
of the Gospel
Gospel Matthew 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37 (New
Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)
Jesus said to his
disciples:
‘I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
‘You have heard that it was said to those of
ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to
judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will
be liable to judgement.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not
commit adultery.” But I say
to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her in his heart.
‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those
of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have
made to the Lord.” But I say
to you, Do not swear at all. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or
“No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’
Nearly forty years ago I spent part of a summer
working in a parish near New York City. One day when I was on duty I answered
the phone. The man calling gave me his name, which I wrote down. He told me he
was living in an irregular situation, having been divorced from his wife. He
was asking what the Church could do for him in that situation. I tried to tell
him about programmes that the Church had in the diocese for Catholics who were
divorced and re-married civilly or living with someone else. The latter
situation wasn't nearly as common then as it is now.
But he was getting more and more angry, though I
remained calm. He eventually hung up.
I was able to find his mailing address easily on the parish register and
wrote him a letter letting him know that I had understood his situation and the
reason for his anger and frustration. Again, I informed him of the ways the
Church was trying to be with those who found themselves in situations such as
his.
The following day I had another phone call from the
man. He thanked me profusely for my letter, for having listened to him and for
having heard what he was trying to say. He also acknowledged that he was in a
situation that he himself had created.
Today's Gospel shows us a Jesus who is somewhat
different from the 'domesticated' meek and mild Jesus that we often imagine or
create. He speaks of hard things: the consequences of breaking God's law, the
necessity of forgiving and accepting forgiveness, the fruits of anger - not the
feeling, which is something spontaneous, but the decision to
remain angry/to hate - and the effects of adultery. Some of the most difficult
parts of the gospel may be omitted and probably will be by many priests, for
various reasons.
The media at the moment are giving lots of coverage
to how the Church approaches those who are living with someone not their
spouse. One might be led to think that the Church is being harsh for the sake
of being harsh, imposing impossible difficulties on some of its members and
failing to be 'merciful' and 'pastoral'.
In 2014 Fr Edward McNamara LC replied in zenit.org, a Catholic news agency, replied to a question about this very matter. He quotes
from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos 1650 and 1651.
The latter says, Toward Christians who live in this situation, and who
often keep the faith and desire to bring up their children in a Christian
manner, priests and the whole community must manifest an attentive solicitude,
so that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church, in whose
life they can and must participate as baptized persons: 'They should be
encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass,
to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community
efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to
cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day,
God's grace.
I have close friends in such situations and in
visiting parishes in Britain to do mission appeals for the Columbans I met
couples in irregular situations who were very much involved in their parishes,
but who accept the teaching of Jesus, expressed through his Church, and live
with that painful reality which they know they have created for themselves, for
whatever reasons.
Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery
Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]
In the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) we find this exchange at the end:
Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before
him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no
one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, sir.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.'
Jesus shows the woman the greatest respect. Part of
that respect is not denying that she had sinned. She knew that she had. God
alone knew what had been going on in her heart. Jesus restored her dignity to
her, gave her hope: Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now
on do not sin again.
Jesus has taught us very clearly what marriage is: Some
Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife for any cause?' He answered, 'Have you not read that the
one who made them at the beginning "made them male and female,"and said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh"? So they are no longer two, but
one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate' (Matthew 19:3-6).
This is a hard saying. Many utterly reject it, even
the part about male and female. Others wrestle with the consequences of not
accepting the teaching of Jesus when they find themselves in difficult
situations.
Some think,
wrongly, that the Church does not anyone who is divorced to receive
Holy Communion. That is not quite accurate. Some are. An ongoing seriously sinful situation is
created when two persons, at least one of whom is married in the eyes of the
Church, choose to live together whether after a civil wedding or otherwise. The
same, of course, applies to any two persons not married to each other who live
together in a sexually intimate relationship. That is a choice people make. But
if a divorced person lives a chaste life he or she isn't living in a sinful
situation.
The First Reading (Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20) makes it very clear that God gives us the freedom to choose - and that there are consequences to the choices we make:
The First Reading (Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20) makes it very clear that God gives us the freedom to choose - and that there are consequences to the choices we make:
If you choose, you can keep
the commandments,
and to act
faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
He has placed before you fire
and water;
stretch out
your hand for whichever you choose.
Before each person are
life and death,
and
whichever one chooses will be given.
For great is the wisdom of the
Lord;
he is
mighty in power and sees everything;
his eyes are on those who fear
him,
and he
knows every human action.
He has not commanded
anyone to be wicked,
he has not given
anyone permission to sin.
The response in the responsorial psalm, which is an echo of the first reading, is Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! (NAB). This is taken from Psalm 119 [118], as are the verses used in the responsorial psalm. this is the longest psalm, 176 verses in groups of eight in praise of God's law as something that makes us free.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus challenges us in
every aspect of our lives. He challenges us to think with a new mindset. St
Paul expresses it well: Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ
Jesus (Philippians 2:5).
That means taking to heart the words that Jesus repeated a number of times in the Sermon on the Mount: You have heard that it was said . . . But I say to you . . .
That means taking to heart the words that Jesus repeated a number of times in the Sermon on the Mount: You have heard that it was said . . . But I say to you . . .
Adoramus
te, Christe
Setting
by Claudio Monteverdi, sung by Voces8
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi
Quia per sanguinem tuum pretiosum
redemisti mundum, miserere nobis.
We adore you, O
Christ, and we bless you,
because with your
precious blood
you have redeemed the world. Have mercy on us
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