4th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Beatitudes

01-29-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Mt 5:12a

In the days of the prophet Zephaniah around 700 BC, the Lord promised to take care of the “remnants of Israel,” the humble and the lowly who seek refuge in Him. It’s not surprising that Matthew premises the Beatitudes with this opening: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven because this theme is deeply rooted in the Scriptures. God has repeatedly shown special favor to the anawim - the poor, the lowly, and the humble, the little ones. The preferential option for the poor is how the contemporary landscape calls this service.

The Latin American Churches was big on this phrase: preferential option for the poor, first used by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ in his letter to his order, the Jesuits. Today, this option is adopted by political parties in all spectrums, more in principle than actuality. - Often played as a political battle cry in debates regarding welfare, food stamps, private charity, political advocacy, and more. Note that the option for the poor does not spell of how we are to achieve it. It serves as a reminder for would-be disciples that Jesus’ heart favors the anawim. Thus, disciples need to care for the poor (the sick, the possessed, the widows, or the marginalized of society).

What is interesting to note; the Lord does not only favor the poor; He also becomes POOR. If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (Mt. 16:24). By becoming poor Himself, anyone who wishes to be Jesus’ disciple faces this great challenge of becoming poor to serve the anawim. A true disciple is already poor because discipleship presupposes being dependent on God for everything. Even St. Paul recognizes this: God chooses those whom the world considers absurd - 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. God does this to make obvious; the sources of all blessings.

Who is blessed? The Beatitudes outline the blessed in Jesus’ eyes. The sermon of Jesus teaches us to renounce our pride and self-entitlement – to slow down and not to get into the rush of acquiring power and wealth. The Beatitudes present two formulas: The formula for failure in the eyes of many modern people. For Christians, the recipe for true and lasting peace. The former: the blessed in the eyes of the world are the rich, the successful, the beautiful, the smart, the proud, those in power, and those who climb the ladder of success at the expense of others. The latter: those who give the Beatitudes a chance, who make sense of it because they believe in God and eternal life. The fools for Christ, who believe in Him and His resurrection. Food for thought: Don’t worry. God is never blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers, never silent to your pains. He sees, He hears, and He will deliver.

Lord, help us to live by the teachings of the Beatitudes and be truly blessed.