Category Archives: Almsgiving

“You are the Messiah,” Simon Peter answered, “the Son of the Living God.” — Matthew 16:16.

     We are 10 days into Lent and today was a feast day; a “white” day in the midst of the purple.  Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Chair of St. Peter; the fact that Jesus founded a visible Church under the leadership of St. Peter.  Let’s pray today for all of our shepherds especially Pope Benedict XVI.

     Today is the perfect day to talk about the “Kingdom of Heaven” being ecclesial.  I really love it when the Holy Spirit guides my writing.

The Kingdom of Heaven III

1. the Kingdom’s saving power is made present in the world through the visible Church.
2. The Gospel of Matthew stresses the importance of the Kingdom of Heaven
3. The Gospel of Matthew is the only Gospel to make explicit reference to the Church (16:18; 18:17)
4. Authority to bind and loose in the Kingdom is given to Peter.
5. Peter is made the Kingdom’s chief steward and guardian of its keys. (16:19)
6. Similar royal authority is conferred upon the other apostles as a group. (18: 18-19)
7. Sent forth by Jesus, the apostles extend the Kingdom through their preaching (10:7) and sacramental actions. (28:18-20)

The Beatitudes

(5:9) the peacemakers:  those who sow peace in the world. (Jas 3:18)  Yes, we are to live at peace with one another; however, ultimately we must share the Gospel so others can be reconciled with God and live in the peace of Christ. (Rom 5:1; Phil 4:7)

(5:45)  Children of God:  the gift of divine sonship is both present to believers (Rom 8: 14-16; 1 Jn 3:1) and a future hope linked with the resurrection of the body (Rom 8:23) and the glory of eternal life to come. (Rev 21:7) (CCC 2305)

(CCC 2305)  Christ is the Prince of Peace.  By the Blood of His Cross, “in His own person He killed the hostility,” of men.  He reconciled men with God and made His Church the sacrament of the unity of the human race and of its union with God.  “He is our peace.” (Eph 2:14)  He has declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

(5:10)  those who are persecuted:  these are the ones who are slandered, abused, or oppressed for their public witness to Christianity.  They are targets of the world’s hatred.  (Jn 15: 18-19) because of their commitment to righteousness. (1 Pet 3:14)

(5-12) the Kingdom of Heaven:  persecuted disciples can expect a great reward!

     The reading for Monday is Chapter 5: 13-16. (Salt and Light)

St. Peter, the First Pope

Study Question:  In honor of the day, read chapter 16: 13-20.

Meditation:  If someone looked at what you did today, would they know that you were a Christian?

My daughter told me that the discussion of “the kingdom of heaven” was a little deep and hard to follow especially after a long, hard day.  (She had also been discussing Ezekiel for an hour.)  So, I will present the next discussion of the “kingdom of heaven” as bullet points for easier reading.

The Kingdom of Heaven II

     In Matthew’s gospel, the theme: “the kingdom of heaven” develops along lines that are ethical, ecclesial, and eschatological.

     The Kingdom of Heaven is ETHICAL:  It call for a human response to Jesus.

1. it summons hearers to repentance (4:17).
2. it demands a lifetime of discipleship
3. it spends that lifetime seeking the surpassing righteousness of Christ.
4. Righteousness:
   • spelled out in practical terms (5: 3-10; 5: 21-48)
   • observance of the Golden Rule (7:10)
   • an effort to live with childlike humility (18: 1-4)
   • a willingness to forgive when others offend us (6:14-15; 18: 23-25)
   • a commitment to prayer (6: 5-13)
   • fasting (6:16-18)
   • works of compassion (6: 2-4; 25: 35-40)

This means to me that if we build our lives on the teaching of Jesus (7: 24-27) we will come safely to the blessedness of eternal life (25: 31-46.)  Now I understand why my spiritual adviser always directs me to Matthew (5: 1 — 7:29 and 25: 31-46) whenever I am struggling with any question of what I need to do.  The Gospel of St. Matthew is truly the answer to the question “What Would Jesus Do?

We will look at how “the Kingdom of Heaven” is ecclesial and eschatological on Friday and next Monday.

The Beatitudes

5:6  those who hunger and thirst:  those who yearn to live rightly according to the will of God.  Their first priority is to seek the Lord’s Kingdom and righteousness as the most necessary sustenance of life.  Ultimately they will be satisfied by God in eternal life.

5:7  the merciful:  those who imitate the Father’s mercy by extending forgiveness to others. (Mt 18: 21-11, 33)  The merciful are patient and understanding in bearing with others’ faults AND they are generous in aiding the needy by works of charity and compassion (6: 2-4; 25: 34-40)  When the Final Judgment comes they will receive the mercy that lasts forever. (6: 14; Jas 2: 13) (CCC 2447)

The Works of Mercy (CCC 2447)

The Works of Mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities.  These are the spiritual works of mercy:  instructing, advising, consoling, comforting, forgiving, and bearing wrongs patiently.  These are the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned and burying the dead.  Among all of these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity; it is also a work of justice that is pleasing to God. (Cf Tob 4: 5-11; Sir 17:22; Mt 6: 2-4)

St. James

Study Question:  Read James 2: 13-17.  What does this mean in light of the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount?

Meditation:  How can we use this Lent to spread God’s word?

Here are few more ideas to put into practice the Big Three:

Fasting:

1. Fast from music or talk radio in the car.
2. Give up coffee (or cut it down to one cup?!)
3. Give up all desserts.

Prayer:

1. Meditate for 10 minutes a day.
2. Read the CCC’s 74 page section on prayer.  (less than 2 pages a day)
3. Read a book on the Life of Christ. (other than the NT)

Almsgiving (Charity):

1. Visit a nursing home with your children.
2. Visit an elderly friend or relative.
3. Say a kind word to everyone you meet.

The Kingdom of Heaven I

     In Matthew’s Gospel, the expression, “the kingdom of heaven” appears more than 30 times.  This phrase is not attested to in Jewish or Christian texts before this Gospel; however it is not an altogether novel idea.  It is rooted in OT expectations of a Messianic age.

     In the Book of Daniel, for instance, it is said that the God of Heaven will triumph over the kingdoms of this world by establishing His royal dominion over the whole earth. (Dan 2:7)  Daniel forsees in a vision that God will exercise His Divine Kingship through “one like the son of man.” (Dan 7:13-14)  Several times in Matthew, Jesus identifies Himself with Daniel’s royal figure. (24:30; 26:64; 28:18)

     There is a historical background to the kingdom of heaven in the ancient monarchy of David and in prophetic hopes for its restoration.  In the Davidic covenant, the Lord swore an oath to establish the kingdom of David forever.(2 Sam 7: 12-17; Ps 89: 3-4)  In the sixth century BC, Davidic kingship was eclipsed, so the prophets envisioned the coming of a new David to restore his kingdom for all time. (Is 9:6-7; 11: 1-5: 55: 3-5; Jer 23: 5-6; Ezek 34: 23-24; Hos 3: 4-5; Amos 9: 11-12)  So Matthew sees Jesus as this messianic “son of David.” (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20: 30; 21: 9,15)  Jesus has achieved a transcendant fulfillment that brings the ancient Davidic ideal to its perfection.  In the risen Jesus, Davidic rule is forever restored and given universal extension over heaven and earth and all nations. (28: 18-19)

Back to the Beatitudes

Blessed are those who mourn:  those that lament the present state of this life.  This includes weeping for sins as well as the grief that comes when the saints are made to suffer for their faith.  In the life to come, they will be comforted by God, Who wipes away every tear.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of Living Water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  (Rev 7: 17)

Blessed are the meek:  Those who appear powerless and insignificant in the eyes of the world.  Far from being weak however, the meek possess an inner strength to restrain anger and discouragement in the midst of adversity.  An exemplar of meekness in the OT is the life of Moses (Num 12:3).  Jesus is the Supreme Exemplar of meekness.  (11:29; 21:5)

Inherit the earth:  This refers either to heaven itself, envisioned as a New Promised Land (Heb 11:16) or to the new creation that is to come. (Rom 8: 21; Rev 21: 1)

Question of the day:  In Matthew, “the kingdom of heaven” is a theme that branches out, from Christ as its center, in several directions.  One of the directions is ETHICAL in that it requires a human response.  According to Matthew, what are some of these responses?

Meditation for the day:  Lent imitates Jesus’ 40 days in the desert.  Jesus began His “Lent” filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.  Are we letting the Spirit direct us this Lent?

Father Ted spoke about these three things at Mass today.  So, before we get into today’s verses, I thought I’d recap what he had to say.

The Catholic Church has a very special way of fasting during the season of Lent.  On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we eat one meal and no meat.  The other Fridays of Lent we can eat as much as we want, however we must abstain from meat.  These are the minimum requirements, so to speak.  Most of us “fast” from other things during all 6 weeks.  And some of us actually fast from food.  Fasting is a way to grow our spiritual self.

Prayer is another way that we can walk closer with God.  Father said to be sure to set aside at least 10 minutes a day for prayer.  Again, this should be a bare minimum.  We should be praying so much that our soul is filled with longing for the Lord since we know that no one else can fill the void in our life.

Finally, all the money we save by all our fasting should be given to the poor.  When I was very young, we would get a little box that we would fill with our pennies during Lent.  Now, Charlie and I have graduated to a jar!  🙂

So there it is:  The Big Three:  Fasting, Prayer, and Almsgiving.  Three ways to have a great Lenten season.

Word Study:  Blessed (Mt. 5: 3-10)

     Makarios (Gk):  An adjective meaning “fortunate” or “blessed.”  It is found 13 times in Matthew and 37 times elsewhere in the NT.

     It is NOT used as an invocation of God’s blessing but as a declaration that a person has either received a blessing from God or can expect to receive one in the future.

     The beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount are eschatological and promise the rewards and consolations of God in the future.  They announce that the blessings of the New Covenant will be fully realized in heaven.  Some do promise blessings that are partly enjoyed in this life but ALL of them look past the struggles and hardships of this life to the eternal blessedness of the life to come. (Mt. 5: 11-12)

The Beatitudes

     The setting of the Sermon on the Mount recalls the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  Moses brought the law down the mountain whereas Jesus delivers His teaching to the disciples who have come up the mountain where He sits with the posture of a Jewish rabbi who is speaking with authority.  The mountain can also signify the higher precepts to be given to those who are ready to be set free by love.

     (Mt. 5:3)  the poor in spirit– those who recognize their need for God and His grace.  These are unattached to the world and rely upon God for their security.  They truly rely on His mercy rather than their merits or material wealth.  The spiritually poor can also be materially poor.  Those who are rich in faith will have full possession of heaven at the final judgement.  (Mt. 25: 34)

(CCC 2544-47)

     The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace.  Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor to whom the Kingdom already belongs.  Abandonment to the Providence of the Father in heaven frees us from anxiety about tomorrow.  The poor in spirit shall see God.

Conclusion

     I think this is all for today.  There is so much to think about and pray about in each beatitude that it is best to go slowly and thoroughly.

     On Monday, we will explore the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” and give more suggestions for Lenten practices for those who are inclined and explore “those who mourn.”

Question of the Day:  Some translations of Matthew use “happy” instead of “blessed.”  What are your thoughts on this?

Meditations of the Day: 

• Is there something I can do (or not do), Lord, to be “poor in spirit?”
• True fasting pierces the clouds and causes our prayers to be heard and answered by God.  Am I fasting in such a way that my world is changing?