Jesus not only tells his disciples that he has not come to abolish but to fulfill the law, he constantly teaches how this is true, models how to put his teachings into practice, and empowers them to do so. In his Sermon on the Mount or Plain alone, we can see the development of his teaching and building on the foundation of Torah. With his Beatitudes, such as, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, and his Six Antithesis including, “You have heard that it was said ‘an eye for an eye,’ but I say to you offer no resistance to one who is evil”, we can see the further development of Jewish teaching on full display.
If we seriously take the time to read through Jesus’ teachings, we will see quickly how challenging they are. Jesus is clearly not lowering the bar of discipline for his followers but raising it. Jesus is not putting heavy burdens on us for burden sake, he lives what he preaches and empowers his followers to do the same, so that we can discipline ourselves, be conformed to his will, and our lives will be transformed such that we actualize the fullness of all he calls us to be.
On face value, we may think many of Jesus’ teachings are not possible to put into practice. Remember forgiving seventy seven times, loving our enemy? Attempting to put them into practice with our will power alone is not a strategy for long term success, we are going to come up short each time. Jesus does not expect nor desire for us to accomplish living as a follower of his on our own efforts. We are to yolk ourselves with him, to seek his power working through us, and be open to the transforming power and love of the Holy Spirit acting through us. This happens when we daily invite Jesus into our life.
To be a follower of Jesus is to learn his teaching, study his life, and surrender our self to his will through prayer, discipline, worship, service, and participation in the sacraments. The life of faith is a marathon not a sprint. If you have been struggling a bit this Lent, feeling a bit rudderless, I invite you to read prayerfully through the Beatitudes and/or the Antithesis. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew can be read in chapters five through seven in the Gospel of Matthew and the Sermon on the Plain can be found in the Gospel of Luke 6:20-49. See if one point seems calls to you, draws your attention. Then read it each day for the remainder of Lent, ask for Jesus’ help, and begin to put it into practice. We are habitual creatures, may we, in collaboration with Jesus, create some habits of holiness this Lent!
Photo: Torrey Pines State Park, La Jolla, CA 2014
Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, March 7, 2018:
Spiritual Stepping Stones