4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Readings)
The Beatitudes Are a Portrait of Jesus of Nazareth
Introduction
Dear brothers and sisters: Many advertisements proclaim that only the rich and the famous can be happy because fulfillment is seen in the pleasures that money, power, and material possessions bring. Jesus tells us, however, that true happiness can only come from living the values of God’s kingdom that are expressed in the Beatitudes. Happiness belongs to those who rely on the Lord for their strength and protection. It belongs to those who in their lives mirror Jesus who was meek and humble of heart, who gave up everything in obedience to the Father, and who now reigns in glory.(taken from Sambuhay)
First Reading
The salvation of Israel is not in the hands of the powerful and the mighty, but in those of the humble and the lowly whom the Lord will build up after the defeat of the nation. The Lord will make of the remnant a people faithful to him.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah (2:3; 3:12-13)
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.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 146)
Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
1. The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free.
2. The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers.
3. The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
Second Reading
Paul reminds the Christians of Corinth that the gift of faith comes purely from the graciousness of God, who favors the humble and the weak over those who boast of their status and influence.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1:26-31)
CONSIDER your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. (Mt 5:1-12)
WHEN JESUS 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. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
The World of the Gospel
Gil Alinsangan, SSP
Blessed
The first word in each of the Beatitudes is the Greek makarioi, often translated as “blessed,” “fortunate,” or “happy.” In classical Greek it was used to describe the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, but gradually it would commonly be used of human beings, which would then have the meaning of “happy” or “lucky.” Yet it is important to remember that Jesus spoke in the religious context of his people. In this case, the beatitude reflects the function of the Hebrew ashre (“blessed”) of the Scriptures. Here, two categories of persons are included. In the first, a person or group is declared blessed because of a particular state or an act. Thus, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people chosen as his very own” (Ps 33:12). In the second category, the beatitude is conditional and is an indirect exhortation to adopt a conduct or attitude that redounds to blessedness: for example, “Blessed are those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, nor go the way of sinners” (Ps 1:1). The Beatitudes of Matthew belong to the second category.
The beatitude has a twofold structure. The first part refers to an existing situation, something that people won’t associate with happiness: being poor and meek, mourning, hungering and thirsting. The second part promises a future reversal or compensation. This is the reason why one who is a destitute or mourning can even now be called blessed. The real reason is God. The passive mood—“they will be comforted, satisfied, shown mercy…”—is a reverential circumlocution for the divine action. It means, “God will comfort them, give them satisfaction, show them mercy…” God is the guarantee of the Beatitudes; he is the one who brings about the change of condition.
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