PODCAST: Auspice Maria Ep. 3: How to Proclaim the Gospel (Part 2)

Hello everyone, and welcome back to our podcast, Auspice Maria, where we continue exploring the theme of proclamation, what it means to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in our time. I'm Bishop James Ruggeri of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, and I'm happy to be back with you this week discussing more this topic of proclaiming the good news.

Last week we began this series by talking about what proclamation really is, not just preaching or teaching in a formal setting, but announcing with conviction and joy the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We saw that proclamation, or kerygma, is not a concept limited to missionaries or clergy, but something every baptized person is called to embody and share. T

oday we're going to take that a step further by looking at two different perspectives on proclamation. Inspired by two powerful gospel passages, the Beatitudes, as told to us by St. Matthew in chapter 5 and by St. Luke in chapter 6.

In Matthew, Jesus goes up a mountain to teach. In Luke, he comes down to a plain. These are not just geographical differences. They represent two essential modes of proclaiming the gospel: from above with clarity and authority and from alongside with compassion and solidarity. As we'll see, the Church needs both of these modes, actually they exist together, if we're going to be faithful and fruitful in our mission.

Let's begin with just a brief recap from last week's episode. We talked about proclamation as the announcement of the core message of our faith with the early church called the kerygma. Pope Francis summarizes it beautifully in Evangelium Gaudium, the Joy of the Gospel. In paragraph number 164, he writes, Jesus Christ loves you. He gave his life to save you. And now he is living at your side every day to enlighten and strengthen and free you.

The Kerygma is not just a set of theological ideas. It's a living, powerful message that has the power to change lives. It speaks of a God who is love. It speaks of a humanity wounded by sin. It speaks of a savior who died and rose. And it speaks of a call, an invitation to repentance and new life. And this proclamation has a unique character. It must be joyful, bold, spirit-filled, and personal. It's not merely catechesis or moral instruction. It's the announcement that something decisive has happened in history, and it is good news.

As we transition into today's episode, let's keep in mind that the how of proclamation matters just as much as the what. That's where our Gospel text today will help us understand. So let's turn for a moment to our two gospel texts, Matthew chapter five and Luke chapter six.

Both contain what we call the Beatitudes, those stirring proclamations of blessing, formulas for happiness that have echoed through the centuries, but they present very different settings. In Matthew chapter five, Jesus goes up a mountain, sits down, and begins to teach. It's a posture of authority, like a new Moses delivering the law from Mount Sinai. The focus here is on truth, clarity, and formation.

In Luke chapter 6, Jesus comes down and stands on a plain. He's at eye level with the crowd. He speaks to them in direct, raw language, acknowledging their struggles and calling them to a new way of life. The focus here is on solidarity, empathy, and encounter. These two settings, the mountain and the plain, offer us a theological lens through which we can reflect on how the Church proclaims the Gospel. Sometimes the Church must teach with authority from the mountain. At other times, she must walk among the people, proclaiming from the plain.

But let's go deeper because, again, these are interrelated ways that the Church conveys truth, teaches about the truth of Christ and the truth of the Good News. In Matthew chapter five, what is called the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew writes, "when he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He goes on, of course, teaching in Matthew chapter five, but it's interesting, the image is unmistakable.

Jesus ascends the mountain just as Moses did, but Jesus just doesn't bring a law from God. He is the Word made flesh. When he teaches, he speaks with divine authority. The structure of the sermon is formal and elevated. He, "began to teach them," a phrase that in Greek signals solemn and authoritative teaching.

The Beatitudes are not just moral suggestions, they are announcements of the new order Jesus is ushering in. We could say they are really pronouncements of the kingdom of God. Each beatitude in Matthew emphasizes a spiritual quality, being poor in spirit, meek, pure of heart, merciful. The promises are eschatological. That is, they look to the fullness of the kingdom.

Again, what we hear in the second half of those Beatitudes, things like, they will be comforted, they will inherit the earth, they will see God. This is Proclamation from the Mountain. It reminds us that the Church must never be afraid to speak clearly, to teach courageously, and to proclaim truth in season and out of season.

We need this kind of authoritative voice, clear voice, especially in a culture that is often, unfortunately, allergic to truth. Think of the Church's magisterial teachings, her catechisms, papal encyclicals. These are modern-day, we could call them, mountain proclamations. They may not always be warmly received, but they provide clarity, direction, and vision. And I would dare say that these are given in love.

Now let's turn to Luke's version of the Beatitudes in Luke chapter six. He writes, "in raising his eyes toward his disciples, he said, blessed are you who are poor for the kingdom of God is yours." He goes on and he has more of these Beatitudes But notice the shift. Jesus descends and stands on a level place. He's among the people, looking them in the eye. This is incarnational proclamation. Interesting term, incarnational proclamation. He doesn't only speak from above, but also from within our experience. So it's not only with authority, but it's from within.

Luke's Beatitudes are shorter, They're more grounded in material reality. Again, there are other beatitudes of Luke. Blessed are you who are now hungry, now weeping. These aren't just spiritual conditions, they're real life conditions. But Luke also includes something Matthew doesn't. He includes a series of woes that follow immediately after these blesseds.

"But woe to you who are rich, who are filled now, who laugh now." This contrast emphasizes God's reversal of worldly expectations, God's preferential love for the poor, the suffering, and the excluded. This is proclamation on the plain, where the pain is real, the wounds are visible, and the message must be hopeful, direct, and healing.

We see this in the Church's mission in the margins. Her hospitals, soup kitchens, her accompaniment of the homeless, the imprisoned, the refugee. It's the proclamation that doesn't start with a textbook, but with a listening heart. And also, it doesn't necessarily even have to be those settings. It's a proclamation that extends across the kitchen table, from parent to child, from sibling to sibling, maybe to next door neighbor.

So, what does this mean for all of us? Well, again, it means the Church does both. She proclaims from the mountain, faithfully, clearly, courageously. And this is where catechesis, doctrinal teaching, and preaching play a vital role. Without truth, proclamation becomes sentimentality, opinion. But she must also proclaim from the plain, with tenderness, compassion, and an incarnate presence." Again, I don't mean to sound like these are two totally distinct methods of proclamation because they're not. They actually are more wedded together than I'm making them out to be.

But if we come back to this idea of the plain, this level ground, this is where pastoral care, listening, and accompaniment happen. Without love and empathy, proclamation becomes cold and distant. Jesus did both, and the Church must do both. He taught with unmatched authority, but he also touched lepers, wept with friends, and walked with the wounded.

Pope Benedict XVI said it well, and he said in a homily from October 2012, "The church does not grow by proselytism, but by attraction." Proselytism is a direct or an immediate way or sort of mission to make new converts, to convert people to the faith. And so Benedict's quote is that it's attraction that really is how the church will grow. And that's so true. People seeing joyful Catholics live out their faith joyfully.

And Pope Francis adds, "An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people's daily lives. It bridges distances and embraces human life." That's a quote from Evangelium Gaudium, section 24.

So this is not a choice between proclamation and accompaniment. It's a call to integrate both actually in our lives and ministries.

Let me just leave you with a personal reflection. Where is God calling you to proclaim the gospel today? Are you called to stand on the mountain, to teach, to clarify, to speak truth in love? Maybe as a parent, a catechist, a teacher, or perhaps a preacher? Or are you being called to walk the plane, to listen, to accompany, to bring hope to the wounded? Maybe in your workplace, at a hospital bedside, or with a friend in crisis.

Most of us are called to both in different ways at different times. The important thing is that we never separate truth from love, or love from truth. The Gospel demands both.

So again, today in conclusion, we've reflected on two gospel scenes, Jesus on the mountain and Jesus on the plain and what they teach us about how we proclaim the good news. The church must teach with clarity and authority and also live with empathy and solidarity. Proclamation means bringing Christ to others from above, yes, but also from alongside.

Thank you for joining us this week as we delved a little more deeply into proclamation.

And until the next time, may the Lord bless you, strengthen you, and send you out as faithful proclaimers of His love from the mountain and from the plain.

God bless you and I just would like to conclude by entrusting all of these efforts that we're making to spread this good news of Jesus Christ to our Blessed Mother Mary.

We place it under her protection as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen.