Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” January-February 2023

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 
4th week, Psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Zephaniah (Zeph 2:3; 3:12-13)
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who carry out his commands; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger. “I will leave in your midst a people humble and poor.” The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; no deceitful tongue shall be found in their mouths. They shall pasture and lie down, with no one to disturb them. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

The prophet Zephaniah laments the lack of faithfulness to God on the part of the entire people. The great Assyro-Babylonian power is at the gates, about to invade Israel; the temple will be destroyed and the entire people deported far away. We are on the eve of these events, but the prophet announces that not everything will be ruined and that a small portion of people faithful to God will remain. The punishment will therefore be a kind of skimming or, better, a general purification. A small faithful remnant will remain alive: the humble and the poor. This is always how it is in history when one must begin again after periods of unfaithfulness; it is not the great and powerful who restore order to things, but the last, those who have no hope other than in God, whose only strength is their faith. The theme of the “small faithful remnant” is always relevant. In moments when it seems that all humanity is losing its reason, faith, and therefore peace as well, we must know that God’s salvation is realized through the pure of heart, through people hidden from the eyes of the world but rich in great faith.

SECOND READING

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians  (1 Cor 1:26-31)
Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you are wise by human standards, not many are powerful, not many are of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong; God chose what is lowly and despised in the world, what is nothing, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no one might boast before God. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom for us from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts should boast in the Lord.” – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the second reading

Things work in exactly the opposite way in the kingdom of God and in the world whose prince is Satan. In the world, people seek human glory, power, honor, and wealth, in order to live as well as possible, and it does not matter if others are doing badly or suffering. In the kingdom of God, on the other hand, we seek his glory, we live for him, realizing our true good by giving ourselves to others and finding the meaning of existence in making others happy. Yet we too must live in the world, which is hostile to the things of God. What should we do? How can we “win” the hearts of our brothers and sisters? Saint Paul gives us the recipe: by remaining small, humble, and poor, because it is not we who touch hearts, but the Holy Spirit; it is not we who convince, but the power of God; it is not we who act, but divine grace. We are like communication channels, bridges placed between two shores, and if God’s Spirit is in us, then it will work precisely through our smallness. “Find peace in your heart,” said Saint Seraphim of Sarov, “and a thousand around you will be saved.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:1-12a)
At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to speak and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

God is Father and wants his children to be happy. This is also part of human nature: what father does not want to see his child happy? The Lord does not want our sadness, but our joy, not only in Paradise after death, but also on this earth, because there is continuity between grace and glory. But what is human happiness here in earthly reality? Is it perhaps possession, accumulation, prestige? No, it is being new creatures wholly directed toward the glory of God, with poverty and meekness; it is simply living for God and for others, even if we will receive persecution from the world. This Gospel passage is, in a way, the Christian’s identity card. I know a person who, every morning before leaving home, repeats aloud all these beatitudes one after another, in order to face the day trying to be poor, meek, a peacemaker, pure in heart... And indeed, this man is a happy person! And if you ask him why, he does not even know. But the answer is written in this Gospel passage: even though he has difficulties, like everyone else, and the various sufferings of life, he is blessed because he has peace in his heart and is a Christian.