I came across this poem while I was on retreat a few years ago. It moved me deeply. Every year on Ash Wednesday I tend to give the same exhortation. I encourage fasting and discourage dieting. Fasting has to do with the soul, not extra fat. Fasting jolts me out of my own complacency by feeling the ache of hunger. It helps me feel the daily poverty of so many in the world. When I look into the window of Breads Bakery with my mouth watering I think of the hundreds of millions who would have to use an entire week’s salary to buy a single croissant. When I fast I think of original sin. Why do a few have so much, and a multitude so little? When I fast I look at the cross and ask why? When I fast my soul is unsettled, yet I feel more alive. I see the world more clearly. I hope this poem touches your soul as deeply as it touched mine.

What does the bag lady give up for Lent?

she hugs the edge of pew set in shadow uncoveted by the pious and shifts her bones to rearrange ache, wipes her nose frosted in scab on an unkind sleeve, swims in the pain of throbbing corns signaling rain, cradles in her lap her lifeline sack, maternal as a tiger.

does she, as the priest exhorts, promise to fast for 40 days?

does she, for Jesus’ sake, offer up butter on popcorn colored bubbles in her evening bath?

does she, with Joan-of-Arc zeal, abstain from cream

in her breakfast coffee and Pepperidge Farm muffins of apple and spice, and the necessary dab of chived sour cream on her daily baked potato? does she make all things new by rising at five from cool, crisp sheets of patterned rose to sink in prayer in Persian nap?

does she walk the other mile at Friday Stations in tight safe slippers avoiding the blood does she send her cloak as Martin of Tours to prove she is sister to one who shivers?

what can Lent mean to one who sits sleeping in the last back pew, sits dreaming of warmth

and fresh rye bread, sits unheeding through let-us-greet and reflect and adore and repent and clasp hands in peace? what can she tithe of secrets stored in the paper vault, scorned by thief ignored by moth? one-tenth of a can of kippered sardines, black oozing banana, Saltine clones immaculately conceived hermetically sealed astutely retrieved from a discarded bowl of chili at Wendy’s?

what can she share except her inch of crucifix

By Ethel Marbach as printed in the St. Anthony Messenger, April 1982

Chapter five of Matthew’s Gospel ends with a declaration by Jesus: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have not come to abolish but to fulfill.” He then proceeded to push every one of the laws to a radical conclusion.

He extended “you shall not kill” to “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” “You shall not commit adultery” became “everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” “Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce” became “whoever divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery.”

These statements are jarring, to say the least. Was Jesus exaggerating to make a point? Or should these statements be taken literally? I think if we link them to his opening statement: “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it” we can get a much clearer, and deeper, understanding of his teaching.

Jesus was taking the law, the Ten Com-

mandments and their endless interpretations, and transformed it – fulfilled it. Matthew began chapter five with Jesus listing the new commandments. “O the blessedness of the poor in spirit…O the blessedness of those who are meek, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for justice, are the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers.” Jesus transformed the old law from “You shall not” to “how happy you can be.” We read these two Sundays ago.

Today’s gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount and really challenges us to take a giant spiritual step. Jesus opened the door to joy. If we follow Jesus’ example by not living for ourselves, but for others, the “thou shalt nots” of the old law easily give way to the joy of the beatitudes. “Thou shalt not” leads to a spirituality based on divine judgment. The beatitudes lead to a love of self and love of neighbor, and a wonderful knowledge that we’re loved unconditionally by our heavenly Father.

We’ve heard the phrase a thousand times. “You are the salt of the earth.” Jesus coined this particular phrase, and we Christians have certainly popularized it. To get a better idea of why Jesus referred to his disciples as the salt of the earth, let’s look at the importance of salt in the ancient world.

The Romans had the saying, “Nil utilius sole et sale.” There’s nothing more useful than sun and salt. They believed that salt was the purest element of the earth because it came from the most basic components of creation: sun and water. Plutarch said that meat was a dead body and would decay, but that when salted and dried it was given a new soul. Salt was the most common preservative. Not having refrigeration, meat and fish were salted and could be stored for long periods of time. Every once in a while, friends of mine treat me to a dinner of homemade baccalao, salted cod fish. So, we’re still using salt as a preservative today. But let’s face it, is there anything worse that a salt-free meal? Salt is a gift from sun and water, and it makes life so much better.

There was another use for salt. This is foreign to us but important for us to understand. In the ancient world only the wealthy enjoyed the luxury of a personal oven. Communities shared an outdoor oven. They were made of stone, fired up and kept going for long periods of time so that the families of the village could make use of them. The inside of the oven was lined with packed salt that provided excellent insulation and efficiently retained the heat. The salt would have to be changed periodically as it would corrupt from the heat and would be thrown onto the pathways.

We’ve put together a few ideas about the use of salt during Jesus’ time. Now, let’s think about the meaning of his statement to us: “You are the salt of the earth.”

The disciple is called to make life taste good. Our relationships must be respectful, supportive, caring and filled with joy. The work that we do must be honest and true. It must be performed with care and caring for the good of the human family.

Thinking about the salt used in the communal ovens Jesus may have imagined the commitment and endurance necessary to be a disciple. He spent his life selflessly giving himself to the people who were like “sheep without a shepherd.” He would eventually pour out his life on the cross, emptying himself in love. Following his example, Jesus asked his disciples to burn themselves out in love and ministry.

Salt was the purest element and essential to life. I would think Jesus was telling us, that as his disciples we, too, must be pure and essential to life. In the sermon on the mount he said, “How happy are the pure of heart for they will see God.” When we hear the word “pure” we generally think of a person who is innocent and naïve, but that’s a very shallow interpretation of the word. Let’s look at the phase through the lens of our present reality.

We’re living in a society that has abandoned the purity of the truth. Phrases that wage war against truth like “fake news” and “alternate facts” ring out every day, it seems. Jesus was asking his disciples to stand in opposition to the world – to maintain purity of heart, to revere the truth.

The authentic disciple must never loose sight of Jesus standing before Pontius Pilate. His words should ring in our ears. “I came into the world to bear witness to the truth and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” Pilate’s closed heart tragically responded: “What is truth?”

There are many Pilates in positions of power throughout the world. Today, each and every disciple is called to stand in contradiction to them. We offer the life that truth brings. Some among us who are called to a prophetic ministry may meet the same fate as Jesus. But through us, the truth will continue to reach out, offering life, offering healing, offering a vision of a new world. As his disciples we must never forget his words to us. “You are the salt of the earth.”

Matthew’s beatitudes are proclaimed several times in the course of the Sunday liturgy and at numerous weddings and funerals. You’ve heard me preach on them many times. Today we have an opportunity to reflect on them in more depth.

Let’s recall Matthew’s introduction to the Beatitudes. Jesus was baptized by John and then retreated into the desert for 40 days. He then called the first disciples, Peter and Andrew and James and John. Jesus then got in full gear “teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing people who had all kinds of illnesses and diseases.”

This introduction mimics the account of the exodus. The Jewish people marched through the Red Sea and then wandered in the desert for 40 years. When they came to Mount Sinai, Moses climbed the mountain, received the Law from God, instructed the people and then led them to the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey.

Matthew presents Jesus climbing the mountain and then sitting down. This is a very important detail. Rabbis almost always sat when they taught. In fact, any profound message was proclaimed sitting down. Then, “he opened his mouth and said to them…” That phrase tells us that something important is about to be spoken. Moses gave the people the old Law, the 10 commandments. Jesus was about to give the people the new Law, the 9 Beatitudes, the epitome of God’s word to the world. Let’s look now at the Beatitudes themselves.

Each Beatitude begins with and important Greek word that is often translated simply as “blessed.” It makes much more sense to use the phrase, “O the blessedness of.” This is a congratulatory exclamation. With this in mind, I’m going to put the Beatitudes in my own words, and offer my personal interpretation.

O the blessedness of the poor in spirit – those followers who acknowledge that in God’s presence they are totally and completely impoverished and that they can do nothing without God’s power. They have experienced the Kingdom of God.

O the blessedness of those who mourn those followers whose hearts break for the suffering of the world and who see their own sins as part of that suffering. Their mourning will bring the comfort of the Kingdom into their hearts and the world.

O the blessedness of the meek – those followers who have the humility to recognize their own weakness and ignorance and who can control their passions. They will bring the Kingdom’s light into the world.

O the blessedness of those followers who are starving for what is good and right and just. They will discover the Kingdom in their hearts.

O the blessedness of those followers who mercifully forgive as Jesus forgave when he prayed, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” They will enjoy the endless mercy and forgiveness of the Kingdom.

O the blessedness of those followers who are clean of heart, who speak the truth in every situation and to all people, friends and foes alike. They will be filled with the divine light of the Kingdom.

O the blessedness of those followers who are peacemakers, who not only yearn for peace but bring about peace in their relationships and the political world they live in. The Kingdom of God is experienced in and through their labor.

O the blessedness of those followers who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, who treat everyone as children of God, who run an honest business, who are compassionate and respectful in their dealings with others. They bring the energy of the Kingdom into everyday life.

O the blessed of those followers who are insulted and violently persecuted and have every kind of evil uttered against them falsely because of their faith in Jesus. They will be crowned with glory in God’s heaven.

I invite you to pray with the Beatitudes. Read them slowly, line by line. Interpret them personally. They’re the new Law that Jesus proclaimed. They’re the foundation of the Christian life. The old Law lists things we shouldn’t do so that we can live harmoniously with others. The new Law teaches us who to be, how to live in a way that the Kingdom of God can manifest itself through us. As Jesus put it, “The Kingdom of God is like a woman who takes some yeast and puts it in a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.” The world is the flour, we’re the yeast. The end product is the bread, broken and shared – the Kingdom of God on earth.