Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
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.
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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus divides Jews from Christians the same way he divides the bible in half. There’s the Old Testament and the New Testament with Christ as the hinge. Jews are still awaiting the Messiah, while Christians say Christ is the Messiah, God in the flesh.

At the very center of this debate is Christ’s identity, and by extension, his teachings.

As he says in today’s Gospel, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

So, what aspects of the Old Testament does the Lord fulfill and how?

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First, he fulfills the Law. As one scribe asks him in Mark’s Gospel, “Which is the greatest of all the Commandments?” 

Jesus responds, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul. And your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus fulfills these commandments by dying obediently on a cross, while asking his Father to forgive his executioners, “for they know not what they do.”

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Secondly, Jesus fulfills nearly three hundred prophecies from the Old Testament, some of which were beyond his control, including where the Messiah would be born; the miracles he would perform; how he would suffer; even how he would die.

As the prophet Isaiah foretells, “The eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened. The lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute sing for joy.”

The blind, the sick, and the dead who were raised all give testimony to him.

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Whereas some may see a separation between the Old and New Testaments, Christians see a unity – or better a fulfillment – with Christ as the hinge. 

In him, everything fits together. May we give him glory and praise today.

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Image credits: (1) Pantocrator, Sinai (2) Magnific (3) The Jordan Valley

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Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In today’s Gospel, we hear a continuation of Jesus first public sermon, containing the lion’s share of his ethical teachings. He began with the Beatitudes, calling the poor in spirit, the peacemakers, those who mourn, and the persecuted, “blessed.”

Now he continues by calling us, “the salt of the earth.” 

He does not say, “You might be salt.” Or, “Someday you will be salt when you have a little more faith.” No, we already are. 

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Consider the nature of salt.

Salt does not exist to preserve itself. If locked away in a cabinet, then it loses its value. As Jesus says, “It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

The value of salt is found in giving itself away; in being poured out; scattered; dissolved into something else. You might say, when it dies to itself.

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This is the greatest paradox in all of Christ’s teachings – it is only in dying to ourselves, or giving ourselves away, that we truly begin to live. 

If we Christians ever stopped caring for the poor, washing other people’s feet, shouting from our rooftops, forgiving those who hurt us, fighting against corruption, or living with pure hearts, then we’d lose our saltiness. 

And what good would we be then?

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How am I like the salt of the earth? How do I pour myself out for the good of others? And how do I preserve faith and goodness in my heart, in my home, and in the world around me?

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May the Lord season all of us with his grace, lest we be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

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Image credits: (1) Vegetarian Society (2) Greystone Baptist Church (3) The Light of Christ Journey

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of the most popular platforms on social media today is “X,” formerly known as Twitter. The genius of Twitter is that it allows you to post whatever is on your mind in 160 characters or less. 

For example, someone recently posted, “Congratulations to the astronauts who left earth today. Good choice.”

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus preaches his first – and most famous – public sermon, known as the Beatitudes, boiling God’s vision for humanity down into a few pithy “tweets.” With each tweet, he turns the values of the world upside down, or we might say, right side up.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”

“Blessed are the pure of heart.”

Even, “Blessed are you when they persecute you because of me.”

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To a person without faith, each of these may seem like a “how to” on becoming a doormat; they’ll get you nowhere in a dog eat dog world, because Jesus is telling us that up is down and down is up. 

But that’s precisely the point. Maybe it’s the world, not us, that has its logic twisted, because everything that Jesus teaches us boils down to radical love of God and neighbor. This is the path to authentic peace and shared human happiness.

Not, “might makes right.”

But, love conquers all.

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Which of the Beatitudes speaks most personally to me today? And how might I try putting it into practice?

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If you try, then blessed will you be.

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Image credits: (1) Twitter, Vecteezy (2) Sermon on the Mount, Carl Bloch (3) Letters to Josep