The Poor in Spirit
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A (29/01/2023)
(Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13; Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9a, 9b-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a)
Fr. Samuel Odeh
What should be the right attitude or behavior of the believer before God? Our first reading from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah is an appeal to the people of Israel to humble themselves before God so that they may escape his anger. He says, Seek the LORD, seek righteousness, seek humility. A person who believes in God should hunger for God, should not love wrongdoing and should not be arrogant. The prophet goes on to tell us that God promises to bless those who are humble and lowly with the inheritance of the land; they shall be the faithful who remain in the land. The lowly and humble people find security in the LORD alone. They place all their hope and trust in God and rely on him alone. It is as we say in Nigeria that the poor man’s prayer is, “There is God.”
In our second reading from his first letter to the Christian community of Corinth, Saint Paul reminds them that God did not call them according to worldly standards of wisdom and power and noble status. Christians are not called to be wise or powerful or rich in the way the world of unbelievers understand wisdom and power and riches. He says in fact God purposely “chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God”. What then does it mean for the Christian to be wise or powerful or noble? For the Christian it must be kept in mind always that God is the source of our life in Christ Jesus. After our baptism into Christ all that we have and all that we are belong to God through Christ Jesus. As Saint Paul tells us in today’s second reading, God has made Christ Jesus our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. For this reason, any Christian who boasts can only boast of the wonderful things God has done for them in Christ Jesus.
In our Gospel reading today we are told that Jesus went up a mountain when he saw the crowd in order to teach them. We are reminded of Moses going up the mountain of God to bring the Ten Commandments to the people of God. Jesus having taken this position of authority began his great teaching of the Sermon on the Mount which covers the whole of Matthew chapters five, six and seven. He began with the Beatitudes, which is our selected reading for today. They are Jesus’ way of teaching those who wish to be his disciples how they are to be happy in this life. “Blessed” or “happy” are they who choose to follow this teaching because they will find favor with God. For instance, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. This refers to those persons who are not spiritually arrogant, who do not boast of their holiness but are fully aware of their poverty and limitations before God and so depend and rely upon God completely. They are like the persons described in today’s first reading from the prophet Zephaniah. Such persons are very close to God and have gained entry into the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” is a blessing promised to those who are very gentle in their souls such that they respond very quickly to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All their thoughts and actions are in line with God’s plan, and for this reason they enjoy a lot of happiness. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”. These are those who experience peace in its fullest sense. Shalom is peace that does not mean the absence of war or conflict alone; it does not mean peace just because parties are not fighting. In a holistic sense shalom is a peace that includes harmony, tranquility, completeness, wholeness and welfare. Above all shalom is a peace that comes as a gift from God. Only a person who experiences God’s peace within themselves can bring that peace to troubled communities and troubled souls. Finally, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake and on account of Christ who is our righteousness. Those who because of their desire to live like Christ are persecuted, insulted, and lied against are blessed. Jesus has promised them his assistance and companionship through the Holy Spirit. Let us be humble before God as we worship him. Let us pray that the same Spirit may guide us and make us faithful servants of God and Christ Jesus.
