Sermon On the Mount ~ Help please

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It’s been a long journey to get this far… To be able to pray… I still have a long way to go and have yet to make Mass part of my life again…

Last night in bed I was still upset and I said… ‘Please Lord help me to find my way to you, I’m lost I don’t know what to do, show me the way’

I usually like a butterfly and flit from thought to thought…Last night…Briefly In my ‘mind’ “Sermon on the Mount” came into my head… I started thinking of other things …Did I feed the cats, empty the litter boxes before going to bed… Then I thought ‘hang on a sec’ that other 'thought I had where on earth did that come from…
Perhaps I should pay attention to it and remember it in the morning…

So here I am… Can someone cut to the chase and please explain in Plain English what it means…

Thanks
 
GoldenLight said:
It’s been a long journey to get this far… To be able to pray… I still have a long way to go and have yet to make Mass part of my life again…

Last night in bed I was still upset and I said… ‘Please Lord help me to find my way to you, I’m lost I don’t know what to do, show me the way’

I usually like a butterfly and flit from thought to thought…Last night…Briefly In my ‘mind’ “Sermon on the Mount” came into my head… I started thinking of other things …Did I feed the cats, empty the litter boxes before going to bed… Then I thought ‘hang on a sec’ that other 'thought I had where on earth did that come from…
Perhaps I should pay attention to it and remember it in the morning…

So here I am… Can someone cut to the chase and please explain in Plain English what it means…

Thanks
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the Sermon on the mount seems pretty self explanatory… apply it to your self. are you doing the things mentioned in the sermon?
Or is it because you are trying to do too much and not focusing on God?
 
I plan on coming back to offer some (hopefully) helpful thoughts, right now I don’t have time to unfortunately, but I shall return!

God bless,
Paul
 
It is self explanatory but not. Pope Benedict’s book Jesus of Nazareth shows that the sermon on the mount is Jesus giving his own Torah, and that it points not just to our own inner being but to Jesus himself. The qualities listed there are the qualities of Jesus himself, and thus the qualities we as Christians should want as well. If I may, I recommend you read that book if you have time.

Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)

A reminder that material blessings are not to be cherished, but to be ready to give them up in a moments notice for God. It’s not necessary to be in poverty, but to be of the same spirit of one who is. To give thanksgiving to God for everything in the same manner a poor man might for the only piece of bread he might have. To keep your spirit in this place.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)

An allusion to Psalm 36:11, but instead of referring to the promised land of Israel, Jesus is referring to the promised Kingdom of God. That he who is meek and bows down humbly before God, obeying him and doing his will, will inherit and keep the Kingdom (get to Heaven.)

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)

This points back to Ezekiel where the three men are coming through the temple that has been corrupted. The first man is told to go through and mark those who are mourning the corruption with an X(or a cross?) that they will be spared. Those who mourn the evil of the world, the corruption of God’s creation, and the temples of God (the hearts of men) will be comforted. Those who do not mourn are not promised anything. (It’s not asking us to live a life of sorrow, but to rightly mourn evil and it’s influence in our world.)

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)

This one is pretty self explanatory. As Christians we are to continually move our lives towards the will of God. Seeking to change ourselves and our world to follow the justice that God has prescribed. To always grow in morality and faith.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)

This reminds us that from that same desire for justice, we shall also desire mercy. Both corporeal and spiritual. Forgive others or you will not be forgiven. “what you do for the least of these you have done for me.”

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)

Intentions. We are reminded that our intentions are what make our motions worth something. That when our heart is clean, not just our actions… then we shall see God. A reminder of purgation, a reminder to avoid sin, and to not just go through the motions… but to truly love God and our fellow man.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)

This reminds us it’s not just about ourselves… but about everyone else. We are not just to live a life of peace, but to help spread that peace. To help maintain peace between our friends, families, and nations. To be a peacemaker isn’t just between you and others, but a community endeavor.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)

A reminder that if we suffer for God’s sake, for justice, it is really a blessing. That we should rejoice from that suffering because it means we are walking the right path.

As I said at the start, all of these also point to Jesus himself. He had all of these qualities… and He is our Sabbath… He is our way of emulating God, so by doing them… we emulate Christ… which helps bring the Kingdom of God (Christ himself) into our hearts and minds.

So what I think it means is specifically that God is calling you to emulate Him. That He wants you to start here, and follow the Beatitudes… and work your way back to full communion with him and his Church.
 
GoldenLight said:
It’s been a long journey to get this far… To be able to pray… I still have a long way to go and have yet to make Mass part of my life again…

Last night in bed I was still upset and I said… ‘Please Lord help me to find my way to you, I’m lost I don’t know what to do, show me the way’

I usually like a butterfly and flit from thought to thought…Last night…Briefly In my ‘mind’ “Sermon on the Mount” came into my head… I started thinking of other things …Did I feed the cats, empty the litter boxes before going to bed… Then I thought ‘hang on a sec’ that other 'thought I had where on earth did that come from…
Perhaps I should pay attention to it and remember it in the morning…

So here I am… Can someone cut to the chase and please explain in Plain English what it means…

Thanks
Click to expand...
It basically tells us that humility is the pathway to the Father. Jesus demonstrated this virtue Himself in no uncertain terms. And the saints all confirm the necessity of this quality.
 
Hopefully this is helpful in some way:

The Beatitudes form the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, whereas the Old Testament focuses on externals, the New Testament focuses on internals. There are different levels of happiness: instant gratification (we are created for more than what instant gratification can satisfy), personal achievement, philanthropy, and union with God (“Our hearts are restless until they rest in You,” - St. Augustine). The Sermon on the Mount is the new law of the kingdom and exemplifies how we can attain true happiness. Just as Moses lead the Exodus from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, Jesus is leading the Exodus from the true bondage and slavery of sin. As Moses descended Mount Sinai to receive the Law, Jesus is now ascending the Mount to give the new Law.

There are several views of the Sermon on the Mount; the Theory of the Impossible Ideal espoused by Martin Luther: this is a negative view that makes us defined by our weakness and not on the Goodness of God, in this interpretation “we are moved to despair by the imposition of an impossible rule,” and thus cry out to God under the weight of the law and move to the “Gospel of Grace”; the Interim Morality View which states that what is said is reserved only for a few right before the Second Coming; the Perfectionist Perspective which is held by the Catholic Church: this view states that what we read is exactly what Jesus meant and what Jesus expects, He gives us a rule for personal conduct which is not impossible, but what we must strive for in our daily life.

The Fatherhood of God is on display in the Sermon on the Mount as well, and the Father is revealed in the Son, while this is only foreshadowed in the Old Law, we have now become sons and daughters by virtue of the Son of God whom we must strive to reflect. The Beatitudes describe and reflect perfectly the image of Christ, and thus Jesus reveals what it is like to be Him, which we must attempt to emulate. It is important to recognize that The Beatitudes are not just a string of pithy sayings – they flow into each other, they build on each other.

The fundamental beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”, in Hebrew, “blessed” means “happy”, so how does one become happy? Become like Christ. The CCC #2546 states: “The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace,” that comes from the emulation of Christ. Being “poor in spirit,” speaks of humility and recognizing our spiritual poverty, as St. Thomas Aquinas said, “You cannot have other virtues unless you have the virtue of humility.” Humility is a true self-assessment, emptying ourselves to make room for Christ, seeing ourselves in the proper context and our need for God. This is the pre-condition for entering the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Beatitude upon which all else is based.

The next of course is, “Blessed are those who mourn…” and this builds upon the first. Only those who are humble can understand their brokenness and thus mourn their state, otherwise we are living in blissful ignorance completely overconfident in our own abilities and make ourselves gods.

“Blessed are the meek…” is often incorrectly thought of as “meekness = weakness,” but to be meek is to have your strength controlled – to be teachable; we are teachable when humbled and broken, and God trusts the teachable with the world (His Kingdom).

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” builds on the others in that those who are meek have a thirst for more because they now have the right disposition. God created this hunger, and He and only He will satisfy. St. Augustine said, in the same way we thirst, “God thirsts that you might thirst for Him”. Righteousness is right standing before God, and this is our thirst and hunger.

With this right disposition, we become merciful towards others, thus, “blessed are the merciful…” When God satisfies the thirst and hunger we have, our response is to be merciful, not only that but we should be eager to show mercy because happy people are merciful people, not bitter or petty. Unmerciful people do not walk in the previous four Beatitudes.

Next, what are “the pure of heart” and why are they “blessed”? Purity of heart is a capacity for Truth. The CCC #2518 defines it thus: “pure in heart refers to those who have attuned their intellects and wills to the demands of God’s holiness chiefly in three areas: charity, chastity, and love of Truth,” and we love this Truth when we put it into action.

When we have the right disposition, we love the Truth, and our heart has the capacity to be filled with It, we can truly bear the fruit of The Beatitudes. Then we arrive at, “blessed are the peacemakers…” who we’ve become, the instruments of God’s peace. This is only possible as a product of the previous Beatitudes, which necessarily comes to fruition when they are all in proper practice.

What then, should be said about this final Beatitude, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake…”, does it not seem contradictory to be persecuted for all the good things we put into practice by emulating the Lord through The Beatitudes? It certainly is opposite of the Old Testament where blessing from the Lord was communicated through land and family, but now our blessedness is measured by persecution? In the Old Testament there was a reward for obedience (worldly goods), but it was only a shadow that pointed to the greater reality (spiritual goods). As we bear fruit by enacting The Beatitudes, enfleshing The Word as it were, there are those who persecute us, but we persevere for the sake of the Lord, and find joy in it as we learn to love the Truth and our heart’s capacity for It continually expands…(Continued next post)
 
…When we are persecuted and persevere, we have to love God for His sake and not for our benefit, and ultimately this is our goal and purpose, to love God, to praise and glorify Him, no matter what persecution we may face.

Hopefully that is helpful to understanding The Beatitudes more, I have more notes on the rest of the Sermon on the Mount if you or anyone would like. These are paraphrased from the notes I received as a Bible Study Leader at my University by Fr. Christopher LeBlanc, and they’ve been very helpful to me, hopefully they will be to you too!

God bless,
Paul
 
=GoldenLight;8766603]It’s been a long journey to get this far… To be able to pray… I still have a long way to go and have yet to make Mass part of my life again…
Click to expand...
Last night in bed I was still upset and I said… ‘Please Lord help me to find my way to you, I’m lost I don’t know what to do, show me the way’
Click to expand...
I usually like a butterfly and flit from thought to thought…Last night…Briefly In my ‘mind’ “Sermon on the Mount” came into my head… I started thinking of other things …Did I feed the cats, empty the litter boxes before going to bed… Then I thought ‘hang on a sec’ that other 'thought I had where on earth did that come from…
Perhaps I should pay attention to it and remember it in the morning…
Click to expand...
So here I am… Can someone cut to the chase and please explain in Plain English what it means…
Click to expand...
Thanks
Click to expand...
SURE:)

It’s From **Matthew Chapter five. **[A GREAT READ by the way] and it is the explaination in summury form of the NEW Covenenat that Jesus will soon Introduce [has now created]. It evolves around the New Commandment of “Love you’re neighbor as you love your self.” And it’s an expansion of the 10 Commandments [which by the way] are only catagories of sins: not the entire list. Which is the POINT Jesus is making here.

Space prohibits the entire chapter but here is part of it:

Matt.5: 1-16
"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”

And vrs. 20-25 "[20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; "

WELCOME! And hope thos helps you!

God Bless Pat [PJM]
 
Thank you all so very much for taking valuable time to respond to my post…

I have a lot to learn…

One ‘awakening’ I had this week… (*It’s taken me 10 years to understand) *

10 years ago after my mother passed away I was in bed one night and I said ‘see I hope you are proud of me now’…

Basically, everything was always about my sister, smarter than me, prettier than me…etc… but she was living a lie, had relationships she shouldn’t have and of course mum didn’t know… … Hence my … 'Well I hope you are proud of me now…Because she was in a position to ‘see’.
I was weighing up with everything else the fact I had a very nice house, husband had great income etc etc…

Loud & clear as anything came the words… *…‘Eeeee you were such a lovely bairn’ *Startled I jumped bolt upright in bed… (My mother was originally from northern England)

Initially I thought ‘Typical’ you still can’t say your proud of me… Over the years I’ve mulled over those words… and held some anger because of them…

Finally last week I think I have come to understand what she was saying or not saying… Of course It’s not material things that would make her proud of me but spiritual…

As a child she saw me or rather heard the clunk as I put all my pocket money in ‘for the poor box’ at the back of the church… As a child (bairn) I was more interested in helping others rather than myself…

After reading your postings… I truly believe this is a wake up call and message, I have certainly been absorbed in material gains and my own ego…

Thank you…
 
Someday, when you’ve got a LOT of free time to study, you may want to look up the Agape Bible Study and get their study on the Beatitudes.
 
GoldenLight said:
It’s been a long journey to get this far… To be able to pray… I still have a long way to go and have yet to make Mass part of my life again…

Last night in bed I was still upset and I said… ‘Please Lord help me to find my way to you, I’m lost I don’t know what to do, show me the way’

I usually like a butterfly and flit from thought to thought…Last night…Briefly In my ‘mind’ “Sermon on the Mount” came into my head… I started thinking of other things …Did I feed the cats, empty the litter boxes before going to bed… Then I thought ‘hang on a sec’ that other 'thought I had where on earth did that come from…
Perhaps I should pay attention to it and remember it in the morning…

So here I am… Can someone cut to the chase and please explain in Plain English what it means…

Thanks
Click to expand...
peterkreeft.com/audio.htm

Click on the Happiness link. It’s $1-2 but they can email you the copy for free or you can apparently preview it on Myspace Music (preview in entirety).

It’s worth it.
 
The best thing you can do is start getting back to Mass. Make a stop by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As your views start to change and you start to get back closer to God you will understand a lot of what this means by experience.
 
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