The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 29, 2023
Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs! (Mt 5:3)
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
This time before Lent is a time to reflect on what it means to be a disciple of the Lord. Each must examine his or her own heart in the light of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. Perhaps you noticed how the liturgy today moves us away from our limited view into the generous unlimited view of the Lord. Jesus works to lift us from the merely human to the divinely human. That is why we love Him and follow.
In the opening prayer we cry out: “Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all men as you love them.” In the alternate prayer we hear: “May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us.” Now we are ready to listen to God’s Word.
In Zephaniah 2:3 God speaks to our hearts with these words: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Here we are called to be faithful disciples, taking seriously the Lord’s vocation to live God-fearing, God-loving, lives. Our life in Christ really does matter most of all.
Then in first Corinthians 1:26 God continues to speak to us: “Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.” Here St. Paul reminds the early Christians and us that our greatness comes not from ourselves but from the Lord Jesus. Without Him we are nothing. It is important to always keep in mind that we are most like Jesus when we are His humble and loving servants. The true Christian spirit always reflects this humble, contrite, submission to the Lord.
Finally, in the account of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 1-12a the Lord Himself reveals to us the deepest meaning of discipleship. It is not the way the world looks at things. Here we find the way God perceives things - what really matters. We should imagine that we are gazing on Him and listening to Him and then hope that what He says is reflected in our Christian lives. In fact, that is our hope. We could say as the Lord gazes into our eyes, that is, connects with us in our heart of hearts, that He brings about in us the Beatitudes. Otherwise, what do we have? The Lord gently but firmly challenges us to come away with Him into His Kingdom, into His Joy. The key to the door: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”