The BE-Attitudes . . . Fourth Sunday Ordinary Time
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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 29th, 2023
(Click Here for Readings)To be a modern-day remnant with the faith, humility and devotion to God as the remnant in Zephaniah’s time can be a daunting challenge in our secular world today. But when we make the decision to become part of this remnant, we’ll be rewarded one day in the many ways the Beatitudes of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel promise.
When we proudly show our faith, humility and nothingness to those who display their unbelief, pride and “somethingness,” our position just may rub off on some of them and bring more of us together in unity.
How grateful we are when, as Paul says to the Corinthians, we are chosen among the foolish of the world to shame the wise, among the weak to shame the strong, among the nothings by the world’s standards to reduce those who are something. When we are In Christ, we become that remnant to rise above our world of hypocrisy, deceit, greed and pride.
God used the gentiles to bring down the pride of the Jews and Greeks just as he can use us today to bring down the pride and self-reliance of nominal Christians and Catholics.
Let us always strive to be open and moldable to God’s promptings as the gentiles in Christ’s time once were. As they proudly displayed their humility, foolishness and nothingness to their culturally defined “somethings,” we can follow their examples in our communities today as well.
Our contemporary culture is the enemy and the strongest competition against deepening our relationship with God. Let us challenge this culture by boasting in the Lord at our every opportunity and be in a greater position one day to receive the rewards Jesus offers in his Sermon on the Mount.
The rewards of The Beatitudes are what we’ll gain in our future eternal life with Christ. They’re about hope. Not so much in what we might gain right now, but in the peace and joy to come later, which will be a deeper peace and joy beyond anything our life on this earth has to offer.
The Beatitudes define the code Jesus sets for sharing in his divine eternal happiness. Though this code can be a challenge for us in our modern-day culture, he is speaking the same language to us today just as he did to his followers on the mountain.
Let us all become the followers Jesus wants us to be. Let us BE his ATTITUDES today.
(For more reflections on the Sunday Readings, Go Here)
