Saint Augustine once described the Sermon on the Mount as the perfect measure of the Christian life." Taking his cue from Augustine, Frank Matera provides an exposition of the sermon for contemporary readers who wish to use the sermon as the standard by which they live their lives every day.
Matera shows how the Sermon on the Mount summons believers to single-minded devotion and wholehearted service to God. He unfolds the historical and theological background to the sermon. He explores the meaning of the individual Beatitudes, which articulate Jesus' call for a more abundant righteousness, piety without hypocrisy, and the need to become "doers" of the Word.
This lively and engaging commentary is an ideal resource for adult education and Bible study groups. It is also ideal for al who want to live their discipleship more fully.
"Frank J. Matera was for many years the Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at The Catholic University of America. A former president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, he is presently the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Simsbury, Connecticut. He has published commentaries on Romans, Second Corinthians, and Galatians, and written books on New Testament theology, New Testament Christology, New Testament ethics, and Pauline theology. Matera's previous works published by Liturgical Press include Galatians in the Sacra Pagina series, "Strategies for PreachingPaul," and "Preaching Romans: Proclaiming God's Saving Grace."
