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The New Commandment and the Works of Mercy

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The New Commandment and the Works of Mercy LESSON 10 The New Commandment and the Works of Mercy BACKGROUND READING As we journey toward Heaven we look for, the greatest sacrifice of all, the sacrifice of His and need, signs that we are on the correct Body and Blood in the Eucharist, which unites path and headed in the right direction. At all of us with His sacrifice on the Cross. The the Last Supper, Christ gave us the New New Commandment contains the law of the Commandment, which He declares is the entire Gospel. He tells us to love one another surest sign that we are His disciples. The as He has loved us. Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are The surest way to walk the path of life also signs given to us by Christ, through His is to take up our crosses and live lives that Church, that help us to choose the right way are offerings of love. A life of sacrificial to respond to our brothers and sisters in the love also shines out to the world like light human family. in the darkness. Our culture is a selfish culture. It values material gain, escapism, The New Commandment and self-indulgence. Sacrifice is only seen as worthwhile if it helps us get ahead. But the When Jesus washed the feet of His Apostles values of Christ’s Kingdom, where we love at the Last Supper, He showed that His love God before all and our neighbor as ourselves, was one of service. He was their master and is the surest way of declaring ourselves as teacher, and yet He washed the feet of his disciples of Christ. More than our words, our disciples, which was the task of a servant. deeds of humility and love are what will show After this act of service, He gave the Apostles the face of Christ to others. the New Commandment, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one The Works of Mercy another. This is how all will know that you To follow Christ is to walk as He walked and to are my disciples, if you have love for one do as He did. On our path to Heaven, we must another” (John 13:34-35). Then He institutes treat each human person that we encounter LIFE IN CHRIST, ESSAY APPENDIX 283 as we would treat Christ. When we live out the In the Parable of the Sheep and the Works of Mercy we are fulfilling the command Goats, Christ lists out the Corporal Works to love one another as Christ has loved us. of Mercy and He also says, “Amen, I say to The Works of Mercy are divided into you, whatever you did for one of these least two kinds, the spiritual and the corporal. brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew The word “corporal” means “of the body,” 25:40). Jesus not only taught us how we were and the Corporal Works of Mercy meet the to treat others, but He clearly and definitively bodily needs of the person. They are: feed the identified Himself with all of humankind. To hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the love our brother or sister is to love God. To naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, love God is to love our brother and sister. visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. Great dignity is bestowed upon all human The Spiritual Works of Mercy meet the persons through this common identification. spiritual needs of the person. They are: But there is also a warning given to us as well. instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, If we neglect our brothers and sisters, we also admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, neglect Christ. In the parable of the sheep and forgive offenses willingly, comfort the the goats, those who love their brothers and afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead. sisters enter into the Kingdom of God, those Although both are essential to the Christian who neglect them — because of busyness, life, the Spiritual Works of Mercy are more thoughtlessness, the cares of the world, or important. This is because they address selfishness — choose to go into the “eternal needs that are related to the ultimate end fire” (25:41). Ultimately Christ shows us that for which we are created: beatitude, or an we will be judged by our love. Here again eternity in Heaven with God. In other words, Christ shows us how sacrificial love leads to we perform the Spiritual Works of Mercy for life, but that love of self and sin leads to death. our neighbors to help them get to Heaven. 284 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS LESSON 11 The First through the Fourth Beatitudes BACKGROUND READING Everyone wants to be happy. St. Augustine used today. In fact, the kind of happiness wrote, “All men agree in desiring the last Jesus talks about seems paradoxical. He uses end, which is happiness.” By “last end,” St. examples like “Blessed are those who mourn,” Augustine means “purpose in life.” In other or “Blessed are those who are persecuted.” words, St. Augustine is saying that all people These examples do not sound happy to our everywhere want to achieve their purpose, ears! We think of happiness as an emotion that and that purpose is happiness. The reason brings us pleasure. And because of this, our why our purpose is happiness is because God happiness cannot last. But the blessedness created us to be happy. The Church teaches and happiness that Jesus had in mind lasts that God placed the desire for happiness in forever. It is the happiness of those who hope each of our hearts. But what is true happiness? in the Kingdom of God. It is the blessedness of those who walk on the path toward life. The Sermon on the Mount In the Sermon on the Mount (where Jesus The First Four Beatitudes gave us the heart of His teaching and Jesus, in an act of great charity, modeled for proclaimed the Kingdom of God), Jesus gave us the ideal Christian life. He asks nothing us the Beatitudes to show us what it means from us that He has not already done, and He to be happy. In the Gospels of Matthew and asks us to do what He has done by giving us Luke, Jesus begins each beatitude with the the Beatitudes. Our response to His charity saying, “Blessed are …,” and then continues is to imitate Him with the guidance of His each statement with a teaching about who Beatitudes. Examining the Scriptures will is “blessed” and what their reward will be. show us how Jesus lived the Beatitudes and Some translations of Scripture use the phrase how we can, too. “Happy are…” instead of “Blessed are…” This is The first beatitude states: “Blessed are not a coincidence! The meaning is the same. the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom Jesus used the words blessed and happy of Heaven” (CCC 1716). Jesus exemplifies differently from the way the words are typically being poor in spirit by remaining completely LIFE IN CHRIST, ESSAY APPENDIX 285 detached from earthly things and being us and strengthens us when we grieve. God reliant on the Father. Many people identify blesses us when, even as we mourn for what with Jesus because He lives as they do — a life we have lost, we believe in Jesus and long for without material possessions. Jesus’ words the coming of the Kingdom in its fullness. are also about being completely spiritually In the third beatitude, Jesus teaches us: humble and completely dependent on God. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit Jesus demonstrates this beatitude in His the earth” (CCC 1716). The word “meek” does Agony in the Garden when He asks, “My not mean weak. To be meek is to be gentle, Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass humble, teachable, and patient while bearing without my drinking it, your will be done!” wrongs. Jesus tells us that He is meek: “Learn (Matthew 26:42). Jesus does not pridefully from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” assert His own wishes. Rather He humbles (Matthew 11:29). Jesus demonstrates His Himself before the Father’s will. In so doing, meekness throughout His Passion (Matthew He wins for all of us the Kingdom of Heaven. 26-27). He endures betrayal, arrest, beatings, If we humbly recognize that we are God’s whippings, false accusations, and ridicule with poor servants, that all our possessions are quiet strength, never losing His temper or gifts from God, and that we are dependent striking back, never retaliating or resisting. on God for every minute of our lives, we will He is firm in doing the will of the Father. enter His Kingdom. The fourth beatitude tells us: “Blessed The second beatitude is: “Blessed are those are those who hunger and thirst for who mourn, for they will be comforted” (CCC righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” 1716). We mourn for what we lack; we weep for (CCC 1716). We all hunger and thirst for food what we had and is now gone. Jesus mourned and drink because our bodies need these when his friend Lazarus died. Lazarus’s sister things. In this beatitude, Jesus reorients Martha came to Jesus, saying, “Even now I our attention to something we should more know that whatever you ask of God, God will deeply hunger and thirst for: righteousness. give you. I know he [Lazarus] will rise, in the Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people to resurrection on the last day.
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