Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt 5:1-12a
January 29, 2023

I told my iPhone to connect me to “YouTube” and asked to see any homilies that one of my favorite theologian/author/preachers (Franciscan, Fr. Richard Rohr) may have delivered on this Sunday’s Gospel…THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

In an instant, I was given the choice of six reflections, each focused on one of the BEATITUDES. There was also the option of “listening to all,” which, of course, I clicked onto. I closed my eyes and began to hear some very inspiring and thought-provoking observations about this extremely important teaching of The Lord.

All of a sudden, the first reflection in the series was harshly interrupted by a commercial from one of the big drugstore chains, advertising some kind of beauty product guaranteed to make me look young again. (Good luck with that!) I assumed that, somehow, I had lost the connection with the “channel” I was listening to. But before I could figure out what was happening, Fr. Rohr was back. I relaxed, closed my eyes again, and returned to the “mountaintop,” and the calm and soothing voice of Fr. Rohr echoing that of The Master…The Good Teacher…Jesus.

It happened again!

I can’t recall who was selling what…but another annoying sales pitch interrupted a beautiful reflection. This time, I didn’t even open my eyes because it dawned on me…I do not pay the monthly fee to engage the YouTube station without commercial interruptions. I listen “for free.” So, I did my best to ignore the unavoidable distractions, trying my best to hold on to the sacred mood as best I could, waiting patiently to return to the mountaintop for the third reflection.

Of course, after about five minutes of peace, another commercial came blasting out of my iPhone…for some reason…louder than Fr. Rohr’s reflection. The thing is, this time, something caught and held my attention. I actually listened. Worse yet, (Mea Culpa) I began to think to myself: I need that! I want that! I wonder if I can order it from Amazon.

Now it was the sermon that interrupted the commercial. Fr. Rohr returned and began his reflection on the next Beatitude. I reconnected quickly, but not without making a mental note to order whatever it was that I was now convinced that I couldn’t live without.

By the time the fourth reflection began, I knew that my shield was down. I was no longer effectively blocking out the advertisements. In fact, I was expecting and even accepting them without resistance. And so, I next listened to a voice urging me to call a law firm that assured me of the maximum recovery if I were to be involved in an accident.

Ironically…OR PROVIDENTIALLY…this “helpful” message was followed by a profound reflection entitled: Happy are Those Who Hunger for Justice. I was immediately reminded that, for Jesus, “justice” was much greater than the “maximum recovery” from an insurance company.

It was at that very moment that I realized that the first…and maybe even the most important lesson to be learned from the Sermon on the Mount…is to be found on the very first line. We have to do what the disciples did. We have to join Jesus on the mountaintop, away from all distractions and interruptions and commercial announcements.

When we leave the physical world and allow our spiritual selves to travel to the mountaintop, we are better able to listen with our minds and our hearts, and fully engage in what He is telling us.

And, if we are able to do that… rise above the cares and concerns of day-to-day life, opening ourselves as fully as possible to God’s Eternal Word made Flesh, we are better able to understand what comes next in this teaching that is at the very core of the Gospel.

All nine of the Beatitudes can be woven into one hope-filled lesson…and it is simply this: When life knocks us to the ground and we feel crushed under the weight of some problem, or worry, or challenge or sickness…so heavy that we are certain that we are broken beyond repair…it is then we are truly blessed…because it is then that God takes over. When you come to truly understand and believe this teaching to be true…then THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS YOURS!
Obviously, we can’t stay on the mountaintop, no matter how wonderful it might be up there. We have to come back down and face the challenges that await us here in the world. But, because of our time with the Lord, we are strengthened…and we can face our problems with renewed courage and with hope! Amen.