Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
Aristotle enshrined happiness as the central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. That is true. Both philosophers and theologians throughout the ages agree with that. What is however not agreed is what constitutes this happiness. This quest for happiness goes hand in hand with our innate desire to be great. We want our lives to have meaning and purpose, we want to make a difference in our world. From the worldly perspective, this is often synonymous with success, riches and admiration from others. If you reflect on what criteria the world uses to measure a happy man, it will definitely include how elegant he dresses, the cost, style and age of his car, his job, how many clubs he belongs to, his house and things that show how rich and powerful he is. The Beatitudes reveal to us that the standards of the kingdom of God stand in stark contrast to these. There is a wide gulf between the secular image of the happy or successful person and what God sees as the successful person.
Jesus offers us in the Beatitudes which is his introductory discourse of the Sermon on the Mountain, the path to true happiness and blessedness. Those who desire to form part of the Kingdom must identify with these categories. They must be poor in spirit; recognizing their utter dependence on God for everything. They are those who mourn because they do not find consolation in anything in the world. They are meek, they hunger and thirst for justice; this is not about justice sought in the tribunals which sometimes is the legalization of injustice, they try to fulfil the will of God in all things. They are merciful and so will receive an abundance of God’s mercy. They are pure of heart; this is not a question of legal or ritual purity which is more often only external but live holily. They are peacemakers; peace here is not only the absence of war but includes being in harmony with the self, with others with God. Jesus also pronounced blessed, those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness and for his name.
The first reading today from the prophecy of Zephaniah is part of a call to conversion. The emphasis is on the practice of humility. It says, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed His law; seek justice, seek humility.” It tells us that humility is a quality that belongs to the people that the Lord will save. One of our biggest struggles today is pride. We want to attract attention to ourselves, we believe in ourselves, we trust in our powers, wealth etc. Humility is to recognize that we cannot save ourselves and that we are called to seek God with humble hearts. True greatness is achieved by humility. In the Magnificat, Mary sings the praise of humility. “My soul rejoices in God my saviour. For he has looked with favour on his lowly servant” (Luke 1: 47-48).
In John 15: 16, Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” In the second reading, St Paul reminds us that just as in the case of the apostles, It is the Lord who chooses and who gives each Christian his vocation. His choice is not based on human criteria – human wisdom, power, nobility etc. He chooses whomever he wants. Our Lord called the uneducated, the unimportant, the poor and meek, including people who were despised in the eyes of the world and did not count for anything. In doing this God fulfils the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit” (Luke 1: 51).
Jesus in His only life revealed the kingdom of God and so perfectly incarnated the Beatitudes that He becomes the one who fulfils man’s greatest desire for happiness and blessedness. He Himself will be our reward; He is the Beatitudo, the supreme happiness. The Beatitudes remind us that the way of God is different from the way of the world and that Christian life is a call to holiness. We pray that by listening to Jesus and following Him we may come to the perfection of charity and find true happiness, peace and joy which the world can neither give nor take away.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc.