“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.  For previous Green Room entries, click here.

This morning’s Gospel reading is Matthew 5:1–12:

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Two years ago, almost exactly in fact, my wife and I traveled to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage. We spent a significant amount of time in Galilee, the scene of so many occasions noted in the ministry of Jesus, including the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. A church now sits near the traditional spot where Jesus spoke, and the gentle slope down to the water broadens out into a kind of natural amphitheater. We did not get to stroll around the grounds at this church, but we did notice how peaceful and quiet it was, even with a large number of fellow pilgrims milling about.

We were told that the acoustics of this particular place on the shores of Galilee have rather extraordinary acoustics, which may be why Jesus chose to speak in this spot. One does not need to raise his voice much in order to be heard, which matches up with the gentleness of the teaching in this opening of the Beatitudes. The Sea of Galilee has its dramatic moments in Scripture, such as the storm calmed by Jesus that so frightened the disciples. These chapters of Matthew are a parallel to that miracle. Jesus already begun His ministry after suffering through the Temptations in the Desert, and the disciples have been struggling to comprehend the parables by which Jesus teaches. Later, Jesus will return to the parables and suffer at the hands of authorities. These chapters in Matthew, however, are in a sense the calm at the center of the storm. Not only does Jesus rest with the people, but He explains the path to salvation in a clear, gentle manner, as if to put all at ease.

This is a pause for the crowds, too. As Matthew writes in the verse just prior to today’s reading, “great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” Those who have followed him have been on a great pilgrimage themselves, and have returned to Jesus’ starting place. They have invested trust into Him and have walked with Jesus in a literal and figurative sense. In this place, Jesus gives them a chance to deepen their understanding of salvation by speaking of its meaning directly.

What does Jesus ask of His disciples in this passage? Mercy and justice for others, which the Lord will return in kind. The poor in spirit and the mournful understand their relationship with God, and seek to remain faithful. They will find not just joy but also righteousness. The merciful will see mercy, and the clean of heart will find reward for their devotion.

But not necessarily in the present world, it becomes clear at the end. The first reading from Revelation 7 makes this plain as well. John sees the twelve tribes of Israel at the throne of the Lamb, but also uncountable multitudes “from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” Their white robes, John is told, shows their survival of “the time of great distress,” and that the blood of the Lamb has cleansed them. Jesus himself warns in today’s Gospel that devotion to the plan of salvation will not be easy in the fallen world, no matter how gentle the teachings may be. He warns that they will be persecuted, insulted, and accused of “every kind of evil” for adhering to the Word. 

Those robes won’t get white in this world, in other words. We should expect suffering, not exaltation among the worldly; our reward will be great in heaven, rather than in this life. That may not be a gentle teaching, but it gives comfort, even while we fall short and struggle to stay on the path.

That struggle will continue as long as we endure the temptations of a fallen world. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,” we hear in John 10:27, “and I will give you rest.” In I John 3:1-3, he explains why the path of salvation is laborious in this world. “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him,” emphasis mine. As long as the world does not know Him, the path will remain narrow, laborious, and full of sorrow, but joy awaits us at the end.

In the meantime, we have this brief respite on the hillside in Galilee to sustain us. Jesus calls us to gentleness, to mercy, and to faithfulness. His is the quiet voice which carries straight into our hearts. Whenever we are burdened and feel as though we have lost our way, the Beatitudes remind us of His love, and His call to return. And the best part is that we can hear Him from anywhere, if we listen closely enough.

The front page image is “Sermon on the Mount,” Cosimo Roselli, 1481-2, fresco in the Sistine Chapel.