PR1.2

Identify the four-fold structure of the Sermon on the Mount (first, teaching on the Kingdom and the characteristics of discipleship – Beatitudes/Salt and Light; second, the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law; third, illustrations of a truly spiritual man/the Our Father/how to pray, give alms, fast; fourth, dangerous tendencies/earthly wealth vs. heavenly goals/worry and fear) and show how the Sermon links the petitions in the Our Father to the Beatitudes and the moral teachings of the other three sections. (The first and second parts summarize Christ's moral teaching – what we are to “be”. The third which contains the Our Father, teaches us how to “have” a spiritual life filled with God's grace, and the fourth points to the purpose of life – the Reign of God. This proximity links prayer, spirituality and moral actions in our lives – the need to seek and ask for the guidance and assistance of God the Father, in order to live the Christian life as reflected in moral teaching and prayer.)