FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2026)

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2026)

Readings:

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13

Psalms 146:6-10

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Matthew 5:1-12

There should be no Christian who is unfamiliar with the Beatitudes.  Indeed, spiritual writers agree that the Beatitudes are not only the most profound revelation of the mystery of God but also a complete treatise on spiritual life.  They show what we are called to be as Christians, what it really means to live the gospel.  Saint Augustine calls the Sermon on the Mount “the perfect code of the Christian life.”  Pope Benedict XVI once noted that each Beatitude is the fruit of Christ looking upon His disciples: “The Beatitudes express the meaning of discipleship.  What the Beatitudes mean cannot be expressed in purely theoretical terms; it is proclaimed in the life and suffering, and in the mysterious joy, of the disciple who gives himself [herself] over completely to following the Lord.”  The Beatitudes are meant to be lived, not merely recited!

The first sentence of today’s gospel might give us the mistaken impression that Jesus was separating Himself from the “crowds,” preaching only to the closest disciples (apostles) who “came to him.”  But the full teaching of the first of five discourses in the gospel of Matthew run from chapter five to seven, and in seven (v. 28) it is said: “when Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”  As is so often shown in films, we can assume that the crowds drew closer so they could hear His teaching.  Like so many important things in the gospels (commissioning of the apostles, the Transfiguration, the Crucifixion, and the Ascension), they all happen on mountains, made special by Moses’ trip up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments.

The first three Beatitudes remind Jesus’ disciples, i.e., us, that true happiness does not consist in possessions, pleasure or dominance over others.  The message of Jesus is foundational for all those who chose to follow in His footsteps.  It is a message of particular importance, living in a world which seems to extol wealth, and diminish, even denigrate, the poor in our midst.  Our government is made up of more billionaires than ever before, and while many are having a hard time making ends meet, lavish parties and expensive ballrooms are flashed across our television screens like “cake” for the hungry.  Being “poor in spirit” and being “meek” are extolled by Jesus, and “mourning” cannot be avoided by Jesus’ disciple, any more than Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God, could avoid mourning.

Those who follow Jesus will be truly “blessed” when “they hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  Furthermore, Jesus assures them that if they do that they will be “satisfied.”  Jesus says the same about being “merciful.”  If one wishes to experience mercy, then be merciful.  Thirsting for righteousness, being merciful, and having a clean (unencumbered by bad thoughts) heart, establishes positive inclinations within our souls which make union with God possible.  The psalmist prayed “create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:12), i.e., a heart that allows us to love without selfishness or the desire to manipulate others.

The importance of the seventh Beatitude for the Church and for the world cannot be underestimated: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  Whether Alex Pretti professed any particular religion or not, he is indeed a child of God.  He tried to bring peace into one of a thousand chaotic situations, he tried to help a neighbor who was being unnecessarily beaten, and he sacrificed his life for a greater good.  The next Beatitude can be spoken directly of him: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Indeed, those who immediately tried to slander him gave voice to the continued Beatitude: “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.”  Alex, like so many, didn’t intend to enter heaven that day, but what a joy-filled welcoming evil made possible.

Only when the peace of God reigns in our hearts can we live the eighth Beatitude, the acceptance of persecution as a grace.  For the last nearly ten years I have struggled with this particular Beatitude, for it has been more than difficult to accept the persecution rendered to me by my Bishop, and his lackeys – the Knott family, Msgr Joseph Waters, and the vindictive Khristy Scheer.  The Beatitudes, printed on paper, are never going to cause us anxiety – it is the challenge of actually living them in our day to day lives that causes anxiety.  It is said that when we experience the beatitudes, it is a sign that things are going well, not poorly, for we are being prepared to join Christ in the glory of heaven.  May that help all of us experience the power of today’s gospel.

The spiritual writer, Father Jacques Philippe, a member of the ‘Community of the Beatitudes,’ sums up our discussion this way: “The Beatitudes are intrinsically interrelated.  Probing deeply into any one of them leads to the others.  Nor can we truly live one without living all.  They are inseparable, indissoluble.  While each has its own specific nature and value, the person described by each phrase (poor, meek, merciful, etc.) is always the same person, considered in different aspects of his or her life.  Similarly, the reward announced (inheriting the kingdom, being consoled, being called children of God, etc.) is always the same, considered in different ways.  It is always access to the Kingdom, entry into the richness of the mystery of God.”