The Sermon on the Plain
 Read this week’s readings here.

In the second reading, St. Paul says, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The Hebrew word for firstfruits is “bikkurim” – literally translated to “promise to come.”  It was the Jewish practice of dedicating the first and best portion of one’s harvest or income to God as an offering of gratitude and worship. Paul uses this to explain the importance of the resurrection in the Christian faith.  He says Christ is the firstfruits of those fallen asleep – explaining that our promise of eternal life in the resurrection is true because Jesus’s sacrifice makes it possible.

 

The Rich and the Poor

This passage, along with Luke 18:18-27 (the whole camel passing through the eye of the needle), brings us back to that nagging question, “Is it bad to be rich?”  In Jesus time on earth, the rich were the Roman Empire and those favored by them.  These rich set a bad example, and oppressed the poor beneath them.  Jesus wants us, then and now, to change how we view and use our means, whether it be great or meager.  It is our attitude towards wealth and money, and the obsession with status that follows, that is the problem.  The solution is a service-minded mindset.  Jesus words in this Gospel speak to us in how we need to recognize the needs of others.  We can not ignore the poor, those in mourning, and those who are outcast.  We need to use our means to help.  

 

One or Two Sermons?

Luke and Matthew’s versions of the Beatitudes differ.  St Augustine theorized that this may have been two separate teachings in different locations.  Matthew’s sermon on the mount seems to be for a smaller audience, whereas the sermon on the plain was for a larger crowd.  Matthew’s eight Beatitudes differ from Luke’s four; and Luke’s Gospel includes four “woes.”  This supports the different sermon theory;  Matthew’s was more theological in nature and excluded the “woes,” for perhaps a smaller group of more faithful believers.  Luke’s, on the other hand, was simpler and included the “woes” for a more general audience, which could include Greeks, Romans, and other non-Jewish (gentile) peoples.  The other possibility is they were the same sermon, with Luke and Matthew highlighting different aspects of it.  The plain could have been a spot near the mountain flat enough to accomodate the crowd.

  

The feast of St Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I.  Valentinus (his Latin name) was a Bishop and martyr.  One of his miracles was curing a blind girl’s sight.  The girl was a daughter of a Judge who had arrested Valentinus.  After the girl was healed, he was set free, only to be arrested again for Christianity later.  He is also known for defying the Roman Emperor and performing Christian marriages, allowing the men to escape conscription into the Roman army.  To remind the couples of their vows, he would cut hearts out of parchment and write teachings on them and give them to the couples.  He was martyred on February 14.

  

These links are articles I used for researching the Friday Update.

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02371a.htm
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=4920
https://shop.catholic.com/blog/why-are-there-eight-beatitudes-in-matthew-and-only-four-in-luke/?srsltid=AfmBOopxf2ycWaRWaTSuLF62uST_hqeoNZmcZd0XjUiXpYU9e7vhoi0A
https://media.ascensionpress.com/2020/08/19/wealth-and-the-kingdom-of-heaven/
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159

 

I also use the USCCB NAB Bible and its footnotes extensively.