The Sermon on the Mount continues where it left off yesterday (Mt 5:13-16).  Now that Jesus established the Beatitudes, how are they to be lived out?  He says that we should be salt and light to the world: salt that does not lose its flavor, light that is not covered.  He concludes with the words at top.  Salt preserves and enhances; light assists in growth, dispels darkness, and makes apparent flaws.  How do we preserve the truth in society and make apparent erroneous laws, mores, and attitudes?  How do we enhance and grow the Kingdom here on earth?  How do we work to dispel the darkness that comes with the influence of sin and the prince of this world?  Jesus concludes this passage telling us to do this by our good deeds.  Let no one say that our good works do not matter — such ideas contradict the Bible!  It is true that what we do has no power outside of God’s grace, but by cooperating with that grace, we are instruments to bring others to glorify God through our Christian example.  Our humility tells us that all we are and all we have comes from God.  We acknowledge His grace and must strive to always be disposed to receive it by avoiding sin (especially mortal sin) and conforming to Him ever more closely.  We also acknowledge that we have been given gifts that we are meant to use so that our Creator can work through us to bring others to Him.  Do not hide that light or let it go dead.  Rather, enhance the wattage and ask God for the voltage to advance the Kingdom Jesus so often speaks of in Matthew.

Yesterday we were blessed to begin the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew (5:1-12).  This teaching begins with the Beatitudes.  Nine times, Jesus invokes blessings, specifically to the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the clean of heart, peacemakers, to those persecuted for righteousness sake, and finally to those mentioned in the headline.  Jesus promises all of these great consolation and ultimate reward.  It is not easy to consistently behave or have the disposition that Jesus requires of us here.  But Jesus makes it known that acting as He would have us do not only leads to our solace here in following His will, but gives us hope in the eternal reward Jesus promises to those who persevere to the end.  And we know that when we act in accord with God’s will, He can work through us to change others as well.  What wonderful stories there are of people who forgave the most egregious crimes against themselves or their loved ones to eventually see the guilty person or persons make a radical conversion to Christ because of this example.  This is no more true than in the last Beatitude when, because of the forgiveness explicitly shown to one’s soon-to-be executioner(s), we come to see the person(s) responsible for killing a holy man or woman comes remorsefully (back) to God.  Let us embrace the opportunity for: detachment from worldly things, humility, mercy, peacemaking.  And let us not shy away from working for righteousness and the persecution that inevitably comes when one associates himself with Jesus.  “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church,”  Tertullian said about two hundred years after the birth of Christ.  Through our martyrdom (whether external or internal) we too have the opportunity to grow the Church through a sincere and self-givning love to God and neighbor.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ provides us again the opportunity to revisit the Last Supper (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26).  Recall that Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to find the upper room and then prepare it for Passover for Jesus and the apostles.  During the meal, Jesus blesses bread and wine and distributes it declaring it to be His Body and Blood (thus, it is the first Mass).  He concludes with the words above and then vows not to drink wine until He enters the Kingdom.  Finally, they all sing a hymn before going to the Mount of Olives.  It is good to remember today what we should recall each time we receive Communion: that what we consume is the Real life-giving (Jn 6:53-54 — in fact, today is a good day to re-read the entire Bread of Life discourse starting at verse 22) Presence or our Lord Jesus Christ in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.  When we consider how much blood Jesus shed in His Passion, and how He generously continues to provide it to us, how can we stay away from Mass?  He suffered all that He did in obedience to His Father who wished us humans to be reconciled to Him once more and forever.  It is not something to take lightly or without thinking.  Rather, we should partake in the Eucharist as frequently as possible, properly disposed (regular Confession is vital), and thankful before and after for the opportunity to share such intimacy with the Lord.  In those moments when He is inside us, Jesus invites us in a special way to pour out our praise, thanksgiving, petitions for our needs, and intercessions for others needs.  Don’t miss an opportunity.

For the last reading in Ordinary Time from Mark (12:38-44), Jesus points to the scribes specifically as worthy of condemnation for their pride and desire for adulation in public and their machinations against widows.  Jesus then notes a poor widow who puts the very little she has left into the treasury as a donation.  He commends her more than all because she gives from her want, while others give much larger amounts from their surplus (see above).    While this reading provides us an opportunity to consider the appropriateness and extent of our giving of treasure to the church and other charitable causes, it should also make us think of how we use our talents for the Church and the common good.  Most of us are not called to give our lives in direct service to the Church, as those in the priesthood and consecrated life are.  But this does not mean that we leave it to these persons to take up all the tasks that build up the Church.  It is important to ask regularly: What more can I do to advance the Kingdom through my church and other Catholic organizations?  What special talents do I have that God can use to bring the Good News to others through word and deed?  For the laity, this call to service must be balanced with work and family obligations, but we must not shy away from giving from our need, and not simply our surplus time (which seems nowadays less than ever despite — or because of — advances in technology).  As we make serving others a habit, we will see this attitude seep into all of our actions, contributing to the common good and the advancement of the Kingdom (an irreplaceable — if uncommon — good).  Do not bury your talents (cf. Mt 25:24-26) or hide them (cf. Mt 5:15), but let them shine forth for the greater glory of God and for your salvation and that of others (cf. Mt 5:16).

Today’s short gospel (Mk 12:35-37) follows up immediately on Jesus’ discussion with the scribe.  Remember that after that interaction no one asked Jesus any more questions.  So, Jesus then poses a question about David calling his descendent “Lord” (Ps 110) even though the scribes say the Messiah will be the son of David.  Clearly the Messiah, although a descendent of David, is greater than David in that He is also the Son of God.  The line at top concludes the passage.  Maybe the people’s “delight” was due to what Jesus mentions in Mt 20:25: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt” — Jesus publicly puts the scribes in their place.  We, too, should hear Christ with joy.  Not necessarily for reasons such as these, but because He has “the words of eternal life” — to who else can we go? (Jn 6:68)  We should attend Mass often to hear Scripture in its exalted and most properly proclaimed setting.  Reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word must be our regular and frequent practice.  The teaching of the Bible has to become part of who we are to the core of our being so that we reflect the light of Christ in our lives and move others to want to have that same enlightenment.

Continuing the stream of questioners, Jesus’ interlocutor today (Mk 12:28-34) comes from the scribes.  This man asks Jesus which commandment is first.  And Jesus gives him the first of the Ten Commandments as expounded upon in Deuteronomy (6:4).  For good measure he adds a second: love your neighbor as yourself (Lv 19:18).  The scribe lauds Jesus answer and expands upon it, concluding with the assertion that doing what they discussed was “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (v. 33).  Jesus approves of this insight, concluding His remarks with the words at top.  No more questions are asked.  Jesus’ final words to the scribe are those that we want the Lord to say to us.  Why was the scribe not far from the kingdom?  The unedited first verse of this passage gives us insight: “One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?'”  Not only did he ultimately answer Jesus “with understanding” (some other translations have “wisely”) (v. 34) but he came in with a sincere heart recognizing that Jesus answered his opponents “well” in the sense of His knowledge of God and men.   So the scribe came to Jesus as he came to the scriptures: with a proper disposition open to knowing the truth.  So we have his example to follow.  Understanding (and wisdom) come from approaching Jesus and His word (that is Jesus himself) with a proper orientation (humility is key) asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom and understanding are the first two — see Is 11:2-3) to pursue sincerely the truth which God wants to convey to us.  Unlike the Jewish religious leaders who persecuted Jesus by twisting scripture and reading into it what they wanted, this scribe’s heart was open to the fullness of truth the Lord imparts in His Holy Word.  If we love Jesus we want to know Him better.  He has revealed much to us so that we can do this, even two thousand years after He trod the earth.  May we be inspired to read the Bible often, pray over it, meditate upon it, and study it with the guidance of the Church.  Then we will be properly “equipped” (2 Tm 3:17) to approach the Kingdom and bring others with us.

Continuing yesterday’s theme, the next in line to test Jesus are the Sadducees (Mk 12:18-27).  This Jewish sect did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.  So they pose a problem to Jesus about the afterlife: If a woman marries seven times, and all husbands predecease her, whose wife is she after she passes away?  Jesus responds with the line at top and then goes on to say that there is no marriage in heaven.  Jesus goes further to address life after death by quoting Ex 3:6 which tells us that God is the God of all, whether living in this world or the next.  This excerpt gives a very powerful witness to the importance of authority in religious belief.  The Sadducees opposed the Pharisees and disagreed with the majority of Jews on important questions of the afterlife.  So they did not buy into the authority of the high priest, who, recall, even Jesus cited as authoritative in his teaching role (if not exemplary in behavior) (Mt 23:3).  And because the antagonists in this episode considered only the Pentateuch/Torah (the first five books of the Bible) as authentic Scripture, any citing of sola scriptura as the basis of belief would be in error since much of the Bible the Pharisees and some others held as canon was not accepted by them.  But even within the texts that they accept as divine revelation, they misunderstand, as Jesus refutes them from the second book of the Pentateuch.  Jesus established His authority on earth by beginning a church in which He entrusted to Peter and his successors the power of the keys (Mt 16:18-19; cf. 1 Kg 4:1-6, 2 Kg 18:37, Gn 41:39-43, Es 3:1-2, Is 22:15-25).  Lack of authority and sola scriptura contribute mightily to lack of Christian unity (tens of thousands of denominations – a number that is growing, literally, daily) which opposes Jesus fervent prayer for the opposite (Jn 17:20-21).  Let us join in Jesus’ prayer for unity and continuously strive to learn more about, and understand better, that Faith which is safeguarded by the legitimate authority established by God on earth which is worthy of respect and obedience for that reason.

The reading for today (Mk 12:13-17)  may well be the Jewish leaders’ response to being cast in a bad light by Jesus in yesterday’s vineyard parable.  Some Pharisees (who were against Roman domination) and Herodians (who were sympathetic to Roman governance) were sent together to trap Jesus.  They attempt to flatter Him and then ask Him whether it is within Jewish law to pay Roman taxes.  Jesus calls out their hypocrisy and then utters the famous line, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (v. 17).  Their response is found at top.  No doubt the questioners’ amazement was sincere, a begrudging acknowledgment of Jesus’ clever way of avoiding their snare (He avoids charges of treason while remaining credible with Jews).   Unlike these men, our amazement at Jesus should know no bounds.  It is easy to fall into the trap of “being used to” Jesus.  Yes, He worked miracles, yes He taught well, yes He suffered, died, and rose for our salvation.  Let us not take for granted even the smallest aspect of Jesus’ mission but let His life and teaching be that upon which we “meditate[] day and night” (Ps 1:2), especially as it relates to how we act in this life and what we hope for in the next.  Let us recapture the joy and amazement of little children (Mt 18:3): as they are so awestruck by the wonders of the world may we become and remain awestruck by Jesus working in us and in others.

In the gospel passage for this day (Mk 12:1-12) Jesus addresses the Parable of the Vineyard to the chief priests, scribes, and elders.  In this parable, Jesus speaks of a vineyard owner who leases his land out to tenant farmers.  After coming back from a journey the owner sends servant after servant to get lease payments but each is mistreated, sometimes even killed.  Finally, sending his son (see the headline), the son is killed as well.  This will cause the owner to kill the tenants and find other lessees.  Knowing that this was addressed to them (i.e., the bad tenants), the chief priests, scribes, and elders wanted to arrest Jesus but they feared the crowds so they simply left.  These Jewish leaders realized that Jesus was speaking of the long history of their ancestors who, almost without exception, maltreated God’s prophets just as they will ultimately have God’s Son tortured and killed.  It is easy to look down on these hard-hearted men and consider them with scorn.  But what have we learned in two thousand years of the New Covenant?  How well is the Son respected?  We live in a society — and world — that continuously looks to push God out of the public square and even mock those who hold their beliefs privately.  But how did things get this way?  “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Burke?)  Let us not contribute to the apathy, or even hostility, of society toward our Faith.  Rather, “Repent (i.e., reform your life), and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15).  Fully embrace this and the Holy Spirit will inspire others to do the same through your example.

Today’s short gospel (Mt:28-16-20), one we’ve heard several times since Easter, is given to us on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  It is the end of Matthew’s gospel in which Jesus meets the Eleven on the mountain in Galilee after His resurrection.  Noting that He has received all power on heaven and earth, Jesus empowers the disciples with the command above, closing with the comforting words that He will be with us until the end of time.  This is the most explicit case (but by no means the only evidence) for Christian belief in God as triune: three persons, one God, all equal in majesty and glory.  Jesus’ command to the Eleven to make disciples of all nations is empowered by this unique sign of the blessing of the Trinitarian God.  Through baptism a person is freed from original sin and becomes a child of God.  Each time we invoke the words and make the Sign of the Cross it is worthwhile to remember how these words brought us into God’s family, even though most of us do not remember that day.  It is easy to fall into the habit of making this gesture without thought or haphazardly, but let us make a real effort to make it thoughtfully, carefully, and frequently from now on.  Say the words carefully (not in vain — it is the Lord’s name after all) and make the sign crisply, fully, and deliberately.  Not only should this be done at home during private or family prayers (upon getting up, upon going to bed, during meals, at thanksgiving, when facing a challenge, when starting a new task, before traveling, etc.) but also in public (during meals, when passing in front of a church where Jesus is reposed in the Eucharist [yes, even when walking by], in your office at the start of the day or before meals, etc.).  The Sign of the Cross reminds us of our gracious God in all His glory and provides a simple witness of our Faith to others.