Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel features Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes. The Christology of Matthew depends a great deal on comparing Jesus and Moses, in their birth stories and especially as law givers. Here Jesus is the new and greater Moses. Matthew’s infancy narrative of Jesus is very much a retelling of the infancy narrative of Moses from Exodus. Continuing with this theme, as Moses received the old law on Mount Sinai so (in Matthew) Jesus gives the new law (by his own authority) in what has been called “the Sermon on the Mount.”
How is it that, especially in the American south, that the Ten Commandments are often displayed in courthouses and courtrooms but the eight Beatitudes are not? In my 39 years of teaching high school and college, I would pose this question to my students. Here are some of their responses over the years:
“In a court of law you need to be tough and not mamby-pamy soft as the Beatitudes seem to be in comparison to the Ten Commandments.”
“I have no idea why. It would seem that the words of Jesus would take precedence over the words of Moses."
“Why is this important? Why ask the question at all?”
“Christians are ‘all talk’ about Jesus. They rarely heed his teachings.”
“The Beatitudes are nice for reflection and all but the Ten Commandments are more direct and precise.”
“Can’t we have both?”
“What kind of world would we live in if everybody suddenly put the Beatitudes in action? It would seem unreasonable.”
“Neither. Separation of church & state.”
“The Beatitudes are unattainable because we are weak and sinful. The Ten Commandments are more rock solid to address human sin and inhumanity.”
“If we all did this it would be heaven on earth.”
“Aren’t the Beatitudes the “new law?” The “law of Christ?”
Today let us contemplate the question as to why the Beatitudes are never displayed in courthouses and courtrooms while the Ten Commandments often are. Should they be displayed? Or neither? Why or why not? What do you think?
—Timothy J. Cronin