Homily – Fr. Anton – 1/29/23

Homily – Fr. Anton – 1/29/23

4th Sunday (A) January 29, 2023         
The Gospel: Matt 5:1-12a
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.”
After the Gospel:
 
Christians now constitute  a MINORITY in England and Wales,
and are officially  THE MOST PERSECUTED RELIGION in the world,
according to Surveys,
surveys which also ask what Christians believe:
about the afterlife,
or about their Church’s teaching on same-sex unions, or female clergy, or racism in the church.
One survey on  “The Beatitudes” asked:  How well do Christians know the Beatitudes … and practice them?
Answers included naming a few of the commandments instead,
or claims of memorizing the Beatitudes in school, but they’re forgotten since,
or identifying them as sayings of Jesus, little poems, sometimes printed on funeral cards.
The conclusion was that the Beatitudes were not a central factor in how the respondents lived their daily lives. 
Brothers & sisters, we don’t need a survey to tell us how badly our world needs the Beatitudes:
we tend to be so selfish,
power, strength, accomplishment, acquisition are what we envy,
people work to be rich so they can have all they want,
seek power to take what they want,
argue and fight to have their own way.
That’s what fills the news and perhaps even our own lives.
Then Jesus comes along with His Sermon on the Mount and points in a different direction, 
not toward power, pleasure, possessions,
not to taking over a little piece of the world,
but to  overcoming ourselves. 
Little wonder the Beatitudes seem out of place and get sidelined.
Exactly how do the Beatitudes fit into the cloister?
One of the first things, they lay the Rule of Benedict in front of you, which clearly says,  “Deny yourself in order to follow Christ” (RB 4:10).
You quickly learn that the image of a fat, lazy, self-indulgent monk is for cartoons only,
  real monasticism without renunciation is meaningless.
The emphasis is to renounce yourself,
not with a renunciation that produces a grouchy ascetic,
     but one that prunes us back, so we can grow out in Love.
Monastic vows become our daily work, our daily transformation.
The love of  Christ gets put first, love of the brothers first, ourself second,  and we actually begin to decrease, while others begin to increase.
When a portion of The Rule of Benedict is read at the noon meal, it first seems like hard work, but you grow to know and love the Rule.  It builds up a sense of responsibility, a vision to help us make our choices.  It teaches self-restraint, not only for chastity, but for so many facets of  daily life together.
And way up front – in Chapter 4 –  Benedict names specific helps, as though he had the Gospel open in front of him and he wants to explain how to practice the Beatitudes in the cloister.
“As soon as wrongful thoughts come into your heart, dash them against Christ and disclose them to your spiritual father,” (RB 4: 50)  as a means to being clean of heart.
“You are not to act in anger or nurse a grudge,” (RB 4: 22)  as a step to being a peacemaker.
“If you have a dispute with someone, make peace with him before the sun goes down,”  (RB 4: 73) as we strive to be meek and humble.
“If people curse you, do not curse them back, but bless them instead,” (RB 4: 32)  as we struggle to bear insults and persecution.
Benedict lays out 73 such  tools in a monastic workshop, then compares the monk to a good craftsman who will make use of whatever tools are required to do the job – some more important then others, but all available when the need arises.  He calls each monk to be a skilled artisan who knows exactly what implement is needed   and has the ability to use it properly.
Benedict assumes that we came here with boundless generosity, and a desire to love.
Each of us came full of zeal to be obedient, to accept correction and discipline,
eager to learn humiliations and patience.
So  he builds on our willingness to put God first, others first,   ourself second.
Then we experience a moment of settling-in,   when we realized  we are not alone in the house,
that there’s a “common will” and a “common vision” in which we all share,
that our self-denial actually benefits the others,
when we realized that self-promotion and congratulations from others are not important,
that it’s OK  for a disciple to be quiet and listen, to give others room to breathe!
We receive consolation in seeing  that the monastic community really can become a paradise on earth,  not because all the people are perfect,
not because all its customs and structures are correct, but because it’s a zone of mercy!
Imperfections are not denied or papered over,
but seen in the perspective of a God who forgives and embraces in reconciliation.
I think Benedict wanted us to live up to the Beatitudes,  especially using the Tools of Good Works.
We definitely want that payment which Benedict assures, that when we’ve used these tools of the spiritual craft, day after day, and finally return them on judgement day, our wages will be the reward the Lord has promised.
So, when the pollster comes our way asking about the Beatitudes, let us answer:
“They’re way more than little poems; they’re the guarantee of Jesus: ‘Blessed are you!’
They’re the MASTER  Keys which open up the Kingdom of Heaven for us.”