February  7th.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mt. 5/13-16

St. Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount" was a sermon that was never given. Rather it is a construct, a literary device, the Evangelist uses to pull together in one place teachings of Jesus which appear in different places in the earlier traditions. It is a summary of much of what Jesus said and taught (as this was remembered in later years), a compendium of his wisdom. Moreover the compendium is designed specifically for the instruction, not of the crowds to whom Jesus preached in Galilee, but of the early Christian Community. In the passage we read today Jesus, as edited by the Evangelist, is warning the early Christians that he and his good news will be judged by their behavior. It is well for Christians today to reflect on that truth. If Christianity has a terrible image with many people, it is in substantial part the fault of Christians.

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Once upon a time two families on the same block sent their children to the local school. One family was very success oriented and counted their children's scholastic success, even in early school years, as a mark of great achievement. Indeed, even in first grade they worried lest one's child's difficulty in mastering a complicated reading function would keep him out of a prestigious university. Throughout their children's school years, they financially rewarded every "A" and expressed dismay at every "C". The other family was pretty laid back about school achievement, urging their children to "Do the best you can." They shared their love of reading with their children and encouraged them in the extra curricular activities they chose to join. In a strange twist of fate, or possible genes, the children of the latter family always did better academically than their playmates from the block. As the children entered junior high and high school, the attitude of the former parents became so ingrained in their children that they became antagonistic toward their longtime pals. They went out of their way to discredit their neighbors' academic achievements, even implying that they were nerds who did nothing but study all the time so they'd get good grades. Would you care to guess who received offers from several prestigious universities?