Sunday 4th TO. Cycle A
Last Sunday, the Gospel of Matthew presented Jesus going through Galilee and announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God. From today, it makes the listeners gather in a large outdoor auditorium, sit around Jesus, and listen to the program of that Kingdom of God: the “Sermon on the Mount,” which we will read in the coming Sundays.
Selection of the auditorium
Jesus is not a politician who wants to win votes at all costs, deceiving and making promises he will not fulfill. He wants to make it clear who will resonate with his project and who will not. So that they are not misled. And that is what he exposes, at the beginning of everything, in the Beatitudes. It is impossible to explain in a few words the meaning of each of them (those who wish can read J. L. Sicre, *The Gospel of Matthew*, pp. 102-112).
The Beatitudes propose disconcerting values
If Jesus were to say: “Blessed is the one who has good health, who earns enough to live on, who enjoys his family…” he would not have needed to justify those statements. Everyone would have agreed. However, Jesus proclaims blessed those who suffer, weep, are persecuted… That is why each beatitude is followed by a justification: “because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens,” “because they will be comforted,” etc. The prize promised in the first and last is “the Kingdom of the heavens.” In reality, all the others also refer to that Kingdom of God, but focusing on certain specific aspects. This reward cannot be interpreted only as something of the afterlife. It begins to be realized in this life.
Simply put, all those people are blessed because they can be part of the Christian community (the initial Kingdom of the heavens) and, later, of God’s definitive Kingdom.
The Beatitudes are not an obstacle course
The mention of the poor, those who weep, the persecuted… can create a feeling of discomfort, as if we had to go through all those situations to be part of God’s reign. The Beatitudes become a terrible obstacle course for us, where after each hurdle awaits the next. However, the Beatitudes are something very different.
The Beatitudes, eight doors to enter the Kingdom of God
Antonio Barluzzi, the Italian architect who designed the Basilica of the Beatitudes in 1939, had the beautiful idea of an octagonal plan, and on each side a large window through which one can contemplate the exterior landscape. However, the Beatitudes are not windows for looking at what happens outside, but doors open to listen and follow Jesus.
Above each door there is an inscription with the corresponding Beatitude. Sometimes the meaning of the text is debatable (Jesus spoke in Aramaic, then it was translated into Greek, and now we re-translate it into our languages). Let’s take a walk around the building, asking ourselves some questions in front of each door. At the end you will be able to choose the one that suits you best to enter the palace.
1. Do you consider yourself poor before God, like the publican who says, “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am a sinner?” Or do you think you have many merits and can present Him with a bill for everything you do for Him? Do you aspire to wealth, to have more every day?
2. Do the injustices that cause thousands of exiles and displaced people, youth unemployment, human trafficking, etc., cause you suffering, or do they leave you indifferent? Do you suffer with the pain of others? Do you experience physical pain, psychological problems, economic problems, work problems in your life?
3. Are you convinced that the best response to violence is non-violence? That “everyone who draws the sword will die by the sword?” In a society where so much hatred abounds, do you respond as Jesus did, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing?”
4. Do you hunger and thirst for justice, that is, for doing what is right, for fulfilling the will of God, as Jesus did, who considered his food “doing the will of his Father”?
5. Do you feel compassion for the sick, for someone who owes you something, for sinners, just as Jesus did? Or do you consider sinners those who do not think and feel as you do, and wish them all the evil in the world?
6. Are you clean of heart in your relationship with others, not deceiving, defrauding, slandering, or criticizing?
7. Do you work for peace, for a more just world, so that good understanding prevails in the family, in your environment?
8. Have you been persecuted or criticized for trying to do what God wants?
9. When they criticize, insult Christians, and the Church, do you give thanks to God, are you joyful and content for the great reward we will receive in heaven?
You have finished going around the building. Which door is most suitable for you to enter? Perhaps there are two or three. If you think there isn’t one, use the first: you consider yourself “poor in spirit,” without merit before God. You can enter.
**Summary**
The Beatitudes tell us what kind of people can understand and accept Jesus’ message, incorporating themselves into the Christian community.
Consequently, the Beatitudes are not, above all, a code of moral conduct that says: “this is how you must act if you want to be Christian.” Rather, they are an exposition of situations and attitudes towards life that allow one to understand the Gospel and become enthusiastic about the words of Jesus.
The Beatitude **does not say**: “Suffer, in order to enter the Kingdom of God.”
**It says**: “If you suffer, do not think that your suffering is absurd; it allows you to understand the Gospel and follow Jesus.”
**It does not say**: “Seek to be deprived of your possessions in order to act nonviolently.”
Says: «If you answer violence with non-violence, don’t think you are stupid, consider yourself blessed because you are acting just like Jesus».
Doesn’t say: «Seek to be persecuted for being faithful to God».
Says: «If they persecute you for being faithful to God, blessed are you, because you are within the Kingdom of God».
But, when it comes to the values that Jesus esteems, there is no doubt that the Beatitudes also become a model of life that we must strive to imitate. After what Jesus says, we cannot remain indifferent to attitudes such as offering help, non-violence, working for peace, fighting for justice, etc. The Christian must foster that conduct. And the rest of the Sermon on the Mount will teach him how to do so in different circumstances.
1st Reading: fear instead of joy (Soponias 2:3; 3:12-13)
The text is the result of joining a verse from chapter 2 with two verses from chapter 3. It exhorts one to seek God, fulfill his commandments, seek justice, moderation, but in order to free oneself “on the day of the Lord’s wrath.” Indeed, in chapter 3 that wrath destroys the enemies and only a poor and humble people survive. The blessings coincide in speaking of a new people of God, with the same characteristics, but the starting point is not the fear of God’s wrath. I advise not to stop at this reading.
2nd reading: the blessings in Corinth (1 Cor 1,26-31)
Instead, Pablo’s text is very suitable and could be paraphrased: “Blessed are those who are not wise, nor powerful, nor aristocrats.” “Blessed are those whom the world considers foolish, the lowly and despicable people, those who do not count for others.” Because they will be able to join Christ and be part of his community.
José Luis Sicre
English version translated with AI