The Sermon on the Mount

Today’s Gospel takes us to the time when our Lord Jesus Christ preached to his disciples on Mount Olives. It is called “The Sermon on the Mount.” Actually, this is a continuation of last week’s Gospel reading on the Similes of Salt and Light. Most of us who‘ve heard of the Sermon on the Mount often think about the Beatitudes, which are found in the first verses of Matthew Chapter 5. But today’s Gospel came after our Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples about the Beatitudes. It is also one of the longest readings in our 365 Days of our Lord, so allow me to reprint this scripture from Matt. 5: 17-37.

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[Jesus said to his disciples] 17 “ Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  18  Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 20 I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21” You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill, and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, “You fool,” will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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 to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. 30 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 to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

31 It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 Again you have heard it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’

34 But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for is it the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Let your “Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

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For two thousand years since the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the ancient people embraced Christianity, most of the world lived by these rules that our Lord himself has set forth to fulfill. This is why the people from the time of our Lord Jesus Christ obeyed the tenets or commandments of God because the Lord himself taught the people, “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”

One important teaching by our Lord is for brothers to settle their differences and forgive each other before they offer their gifts at the altar. Yet today, it is so sad to hear that brothers fight against brothers or sisters because they have clearly forgotten what our Lord has taught them about forgiving one another.

But the world has changed for the worse. Divorce is now common in many countries and thankfully it hasn’t been legalized in the Philippines. But the Lord clearly said, 32 “But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” It is for this reason why many separated couples get out of the Catholic Church because of their complicated situation and end up in hurches that no longer conform to the magisterium of the Catholic Church.

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