WHO ARE THE BLESSED? - 1/29/23 (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Gospel

Mt 5:1-12a

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."

Reflection:

A blessed Sunday to all! Today, the Lord Jesus preaches His famous sermon on the mount – the Beatitudes. According to the dictionary, it means "supreme blessedness”. Who does not want to be blessed? If I may say, all of us want to be blessed. However, when we go down to who did Jesus call blessed, it seems strange. We need to be poor in spirit, mourning, meek, thirsting and hungry for righteousness and so on and so forth. But these are very much the opposite of what the world teaches us, right? The spirit of the world inserts in our minds that we must have all the wealth, luxury and power to be happy. So to be poor in spirit, that is, to desire nothing more important than God, is perplexing to the world. Yet, what is the point in all this? It is because in being poor in spirit, meek, or in state of grief, we learn to depend on God alone. We will come to know Him that is so different from the world. Sometimes, we need a reminder that this world is temporary. We are easily blinded by things of the world that we forget God. In these sufferings, we see Him more and turn to Him more as we are emptied of the things of the world that usually occupy our hearts and minds. When we mourn, God will console us. When we are meek, wanting nothing, we will have true power from God. There is where true power lies for we would not take anything for ourselves. We know that all authority is from God and we are only to be the vessels and instruments of His grace and power. How limited we are, if we depend only on ourselves! But if we learn to lean on God and trust Him with no reservations, then no matter what problems, trials or oppositions we face, we can conquer through God who is our Shield and Fortress. Amen. +

Let's ponder on it. Amen. +

May the Loving and Almighty God bless us all, and may He protect us from temptation and evil now and forever. Amen. +

Reflections by FMMJ

Translations to English by CJT

Full readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012923.cfm