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| St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour |
Holy Redeemer
In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order
Homily, 2nd February
Br. Simeon EFO
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
“Road Map to Happiness”
“Now, O Lord, take my lips and speak through them;
Take our minds and think through them;
Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for Yourself, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Take our minds and think through them;
Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for Yourself, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
“Happiness is that which all
[men] seek.” So says the great philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle also observes
that everything people do twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, is what
they believe will bring them happiness in one form or another. But the problem
is that what people think will bring them happiness does not in fact always
bring them true and lasting happiness. Think of the drunkard who believes that
happiness is found in the beer bottle. One bottle too much and he is driving
home, runs a red light, hits a car and wakes up the following morning in a
hospital with plaster and stiches all over his body. Then it begins to dawn on
him that the happiness promised by alcohol may be too short-lived. Or take the
man who frequents the casino to deal excitement. By the end of the month he
finds that his account is in the red and that he can no longer pay his house
rent. Creditors go after him until he loses his house and his car. Then it
dawns on him that the happiness promised by the casino is fake. So Aristotle says
that the ethical person is the person who knows and does what can truly bring
them not just excitement or pleasure but true and lasting happiness.
Another word for true and
lasting happiness is “blessedness” or “beatitude.” In today’s gospel, Jesus in the
Sermon on the Mount shows that he really wants his followers to have true and
lasting happiness, the happiness that the world and everything in it cannot
give. This state of blessedness is what Jesus calls being in the “kingdom of
God/heaven”. The eight beatitudes we have in today’s gospel constitute a road
map for anyone who seeks to attain this happiness of the kingdom.
Why does Jesus deem it
necessary to establish these guideposts to the kingdom right from the very
first teaching that he gives to the disciples? It is because of the importance
of this teaching. Everybody seeks happiness. But often we look for it in the
wrong places. Ask people around you what makes people happy and compare the
answers you get with the answers Jesus gives. The world has its own idea of
happiness. If a committee were set up to draw up the beatitudes, we would most
probably end up with a list very different from that which Jesus gives us
today.
Where Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit” they
would say “Blessed are the rich.” Where Jesus says “Blessed are those who mourn” they would say “Blessed
are those having fun.” Where
Jesus says “Blessed are the meek”
they would say “Blessed are the smart.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” they
would say “Blessed are those who wine and dine.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful” they would
say “Blessed are the powerful.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart” they would say “Blessed are the slim
in body.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are
the peacemakers” they would say “Blessed are the news makers.” And where
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake” they would say “Blessed are those who
can afford the best lawyers.”
We see that the values
prescribed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are in fact counter-cultural. We
cannot accept these teachings of Jesus and at the same time accept all the
values of the society in which we live. Of course, Jesus does not demand that
we abandon the word. But he does demand that we put God first in our lives
because only God can guarantee the true happiness and peace that our hearts
long for. Nothing in the world can give this peace, and nothing in the world
can take it away.
The Eight Beatitudes do not
describe eight different people such that we need to ask which of the eight
suits us personally. No, they are eight different snapshots taken from
different angles of the same godly person. The question for us today,
therefore, is this: “Do we live our lives following the values of the world
as a way of attaining happiness or do we live by the teachings of Jesus. If
you live by the teachings of Jesus, then rejoice and be glad, for your reward
is great in heaven.
Amen.
