439.doc

Scripture: Lectionary 439. Colossians 3:1-11. Psalm 145:2-3.10-11.12-13. Luke 6:20-26:

Beatitudes are graces, blessings, and the joy God gives to us throughout the Bible. We tend to think only of the Beatitudes given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, but beatitudes occur frequently in the Old Testament and in other parts of the New Testament. Today we see the shorter form of the beatitudes given in Luke who mentions only four of them and then balances them with the opposite of beatitude, a woe. He has four matching woes to the four beatitudes. He sets the beatitudes on the plain not on the mountain as Matthew does with his listing of eight beatitudes.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke do however focus and concentrate on the beatitudes in greater number than we find them scattered individually in other parts of the Bible. The Apocalypse (Revelation=always in the singular) has seven beatitudes throughout its twenty-two chapters.

Matthew and Luke borrow these beatitudes from an oral source which scholars have named the “Q Source” a German expression for well or source. Often we find the same words of Jesus matched in Luke and Mattthew and this is an indicator of the common oral source from which they are borrowing. They did not borrow directly from each other. Matthew gives us more an orderly and almost liturgical presentation of passages whereas Luke tends to abbreviate and avoid any extra ideas that may be present in Mark or Matthew. Luke gives us his reason for doing this at the very beginning of his Gospel.

The creativity and pastoral interests of each Evangelist give us a diversity and variety of events and sayings of Jesus that shows us the inspiration of the Holy Spirit working within the given talents and limits in literary ability of each of the Evangelists. God respects our individuality and our unique contribution to make up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ as Paul tells us.

Connected with the spirit of the beatitudes is the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) and here we have an easier comparison between Matthew’s longer version used in the Mass and Luke’s shorter version. It is good to keep them separate and not use expressions from Luke while saying the Our Father used in the Mass. Matthew’s more Jewish and liturgical ordering of his narratives and discourses are more Jewish in expression than those of the Gentile writer named Luke. We are privileged to learn from these differences and to respect the choices that each Evangelist makes from the sources available to them be it the Oral Sayings of Jesus or the selection of texts from the Hebrew Scriptures. The Evangelists have their unique theological approach and this is to be studied and respected without getting upset with the differences. The communities and churches they addressed had different pastoral needs and this shows up in the way the Gospels differ. All four of course do proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness and their message of salvation and revelation gives us the same truthful presentation in different literary presentations and styles. We are enriched by this diversity and this more universal outreach of evangelization through God’s inspired words in Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. We may say there is unity amidst this diversity and this too is a blessing or beatitude. Amen.