HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A. (3)

HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

THEME: WE ALWAYS NEED GOD!

BY: Fr. Augustine Ikechukwu Opara.

(ZEPHANIAH 2:3; 3:12-13; 1CORINTHIANS 1:26-31; MATTHEW 5:1-12)

Last Sunday we were called as disciples and apostles of Jesus Christ, but today’s readings give us a roadmap for that act of discipleship. These eight blessings stand at the head of the Sermon on the Mount, pointing out eight ways in which we can welcome God into our lives. They are ways of living out God’s blessing. The first and the last knit them all together with ‘theirs is the kingdom of heaven’. Luke also begins his Sermon on the Plain with four of such blessings – only that his blessings are more on those who are materially poor and in need, whereas Matthew’s concentrate on the spiritual attitudes required of the Disciple or Christian; ‘poor in spirit, hunger and thirst for justice’. The second reading goes further to remind us that even when the world considers our path as a foolish one as we follow this map we should not give up.

The Greek word “Makarios” – “Blessed” is sometimes translated as happy, fortunate, or favored, et cetera. The form of the Beatitudes found here is not unique to Jesus. Beatitudes are found in the Old Testament, in the psalms, and in wisdom literature, for example.” oh blessed are those who fear the Lord and work in his ways”; They are ways to teach about who will find favor with God. We quickly note in this reading that the people whom Jesus calls “blessed” and “happy” or favored are not in conformity with the standards of the world. For Jesus they are the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted, those who suffer, those who mourn, the hungry and those thirsty for justice. This Gospel is one of reversals. Jesus’ blueprint for happiness is completely different. It reflects little of what the world might call happiness.

Mark Link narrates a Hindu parable that concerns two friends: a mud pie and a dry leaf. One day, they decide to pilgrimage to the holy city of Benares. Knowing the wind and the rain will be their enemies on the pilgrimage, they devised a plan for protection. When the wind blows, the mud pie will sit on the dry leaf; and when the rain pours, the leaf will sit on the mud pie to keep it dry. The plan worked fine, until one day the wind blew, and the rain poured at the same time. The result? The leaf blew away and the mud pie dissolved into nothingness. To be poor in spirit means to realize that we cannot go through life alone. There is an Igbo proverb that says, “when a corpse decays only a brother or sister will be left to take care of it”. There will be times when even our friends can’t help us. We will need God!

My brothers and sisters, if we meditate on this, we will see that the poor in spirit, that is, those who work for peace, the merciful, the pure in heart, the insulted and persecuted are living a voluntarily stripped life that draws them closer to God. They are the living blessedness that we see in the saints of all times. Saint Francis was stripped in poverty, St. Anthony the Abbot of worldly pleasure, St. Agnes of the desires of the flesh, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton stripped herself to begin the first Catholic School in America, Saint Thomas Aquinas embraced the wisdom of God, and saint Theresa of Avila soaked herself in prayer, Saint Damien of Molokai accepted to leave with lepers and take care of their spiritual needs as a priest. These, and other saints are reflections of the same Christ. They are the blessed. Today the church reminds us that we could also be part of them if we also persevere as they did. They are the full members of the remnants in God’s eternal kingdom. They pray and wait for us to join them. “How blessed are the poor in spirit,”.
We always need God!

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