Fathers Reflection

02-01-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

In the days of the prophet Zephaniah, around 700 BC, the Lord promised to care for the "remnants of Israel," the humble and lowly who seek refuge in Him.

Building on this promise, Jesus teaches the disciples who are truly blessed by revealing the Beatitudes, which provide the scriptural foundation of true and lasting peace. His message-"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"-reflects a central scriptural theme: God consistently favors the anawim, the poor, lowly, and humble. Contemporary discourse calls this God's preferential option for the poor.

Continuing this scriptural tradition, the Beatitudes of Jesus present a reversal of values by turning conventional ideas of happiness upside down. Jesus teaches that those whom society views as disadvantaged-the poor, the meek, those who mourn, and the persecuted-are actually in an advantageous position because God favors them and assures them of future consolation. The Lord challenges His followers to view their lives as blessings, not curses. Ultimately, Jesus redefines being "blessed" as a deep, enduring happiness found not in fleeting emotions or fortunate circumstances, but in living according to God's values.

What is interesting to note is that 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 it 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. In considering these teachings, we encounter two formulas: the formula for failure in the eyes of many modern people and, 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. These are the so-called fools for Christ, who believe in Him and His resurrection. This contrast offers 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.

Tempus fugit! Time flies! January is gone, and time continues to pass. In light of the Beatitudes, we reflect: Where are we going, and what are we doing? Let us follow their spirit-poverty, gentleness, humility, righteousness, purity, peace, and trust in God amid suffering and persecution. Let us remain ever aware of the Beatitudes, our roadmap as we journey to God's heart.