Today we begin reading the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus is presented as the new Moses. He presents five long discourses by Jesus, which can be seen to match the Pentateuch, the five first books of the Bible, which embody the Jewish Law. Just as the Pentateuch embodies the Jewish way of life, so these discourses embody Jesus' vision of the life he proposes for us. The Sermon on the Mount is the first of these five discourses. It is a collection of sayings and teachings focusing on the personal qualities expected of a disciple of Jesus. It is given on a mountain, just as Moses gave the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. Jesus' audience consists of the Twelve, his other disciples and all those who wish to hear what he says.

Just as the Ten Commandments are the core of the Jewish way of life and a law to follow, so Beatitudes are the core of the Christian way of life. Yet, they are often largely ignored as guides to Christian living. Strictly speaking, the Beatitudes are not commandments. They are not so much things to be done or rules to be kept as deep-down attitudes of mind. And, in fact, their observance is only possible with a deep love of God and of other people. One can never say about the Beatitudes what the rich man said to Jesus, namely, that he had kept all the commandments since he was young. Let us begin our prayer today that these Beatitudes may be reflected in our life as they were in the life of Jesus.