The Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

 A Homily – The Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

 

First Reading – Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145(146):6-10

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:25

Alternate Acclamation – Matthew 5:12

The Gospel of Matthew 5:1 – 12a ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

God, the creator of the universe, God is not a lord or a king, God is not the leader of a nation, not now and not ever. God has nothing to do with human government. God does not intervene in the affairs of human beings or their politics.

God does not punish the rebellious because God has no stake in the conflicts that occur amongst God’s children.

Remember.

God calls people from the place of God’s indwelling, God draws a person to the divine from the place where they are, meeting them there and never leaving their side. God speaks to us there…from here where we are, God speaks to us that we may understand, talks with us that we may find wisdom, but this is only possible if we stop to listen, if we learn to discern divine counsel apart from the voice of our ambitions.

Consider the psalmist:

It is right to praise God, the creator of the universe.

It is good to praise God, with words in song, for God is the author of our being and God’s grace is the vehicle of our salvation.

The life of a single human being, even the total expanse of time that humans will have walked the earth, the sum of it will be consumed in a brief burst of light, a flash in the night, when our world comes undone, consumed by our star.

It is wise to understand this and reflect on its meaning; we are born, we breathe for a while and then we are gone; the earth itself will not survive the dying of the sun.

This is not cause for sorrow, it is simply the way things are.

Therefore, happy are those whose help is God, happy are those who assist God in the divine work of mercy and justice:

 

Who lift the oppressed,

          wherever they are

Who feed the hungry

and the prisoner

Who teach the ignorant,

          Wherever they are,

 

Who advocate for those that need an advocate, care for those who cannot care for themselves. Find those who are lost in their wickedness, tell them that they are loved and bring them home.

Consider the teaching of the apostle, his approach and method, understanding that the responsibility of a Christian, the duty of the baptized, is to participate in a universal priesthood; we are all called to mission, to follow the way of Jesus, whom we call the Christ. Consider the teaching of the apostle on how to share the gospel, the good news…that the divine will moves within us.  

 Direct your ministry to the lowly, the outcast and the marginalized; speak to them of their greatness. Remind those who feel unloved that they are loved; the lonely they are desired.

Assure the sick that they will be well, tell the poor that wealth does not matter.

 Speak to what is lacking in the direct experience of your sisters and brothers; state your faith without equivocation that everything will be made whole.

 Reverse everything, this is the art of persuasion:

 Speak to strength as if it were weakness, convince the weak that they are strong.

 Give the people something outside of themselves to believe in; let that lead them. Give them something they cannot see, touch, or hear, it will be irrefutable, unassailable and captivating.

 Know this:

The person who cannot boast of what is good or beautiful in themselves, will boast of their participation in the good and beauty of another; when their participation in it becomes a part of their identity will defend it to the bitter end.

 These are the arts of persuasion, the apostle was a student of rhetoric and he understood the principles well...as should we all.

 The teachings of Jesus cannot be treated like a shell game, though they are, and have been since the beginning, as Matthew’s Gospel illustrates, therefore consider the reading for the day:

 The way of Jesus is not a long-con, it is not a bait and switch, it is a simple teaching that cannot be controlled or owned by any one group of people.

 Be mindful of the second paragraph in today’s reading there is truth here, but the first paragraph contains the lie…which necessitates this corrective.

 God has hidden nothing from us, God’s spirit is the spirit of truth, God’s is the spirit of wisdom, the creation of the universe was an act of reason, its truths are wide open, they are plain for anyone to see.

 The wise and the powerful, the learned and the clever, the weak and the meek, everyone…everyone has access to the same truth, we are all present to the mind of God, possessing equal access to the knowledge of justice, the nature of  hope, and meaning of love.

 Who are the wise and powerful? Who are the learned and the clever? Who are the faithful and or the fallen? In every generation, the new group labels the elder group as out of touch, blind, privileged, in the dark, corrupt.

 It is an endless cycle, and the way remains the same, unchanged since the dawn of time: love justice, be merciful, do good, serve God through the loving service you provide to one another, walk humbly all the days of your life.

 This is the way; share it with your family, your friend, your neighbor, the stranger. Even with your adversary, follow the way.

 Just because a person may be wise and powerful, learned and clever, or a child of the church, does not mean they will recognize the truth when they see it, or act upon it when they do. Membership in the club is not a guarantor of any specific behavior.

 It is not your station in society, it is not how other people regard you, it is not the titles you have earned, or the ways that you have been marginalized that give us the tell on how you will fulfill the call to follow the way; what matters is what is in your heart and your willingness to trust in the content of your hope.

 Much has been written about the sermon on the mount. It is hard for me to believe that I would have anything new to add to that discussion, but adding something new is not as important as sharing the story itself, the story of how it shapes my perspective on the Gospels themselves, to share that perspective and keep the conversation flowing.

 In this teaching Jesus articulates a way of seeing the world, of living in society, of understanding our relationship to the creator; that reverses the social expectations that prevailed in his time.

 He might have said: the providence of divine belongs to all people, regardless of who they are or where they came from, or how far they think they are from the love of the God, no matter what creed they profess, or what traditions bind them. Divine providence belongs to everyone in equal measure, no matter how mush or how little they may think about it.

 The gentle seek few possessions, having nothing to guard, they are themselves unguarded…and free; by freeing themselves from their desires they have gained everything.

 Have hope…all sadness and all mourning, all suffering comes to an end.

 Strive for what is right and just, for the good and truths that are universal in scope, for fairness in what touches all people, give up your concerns for yourself and your tribe, for that is the narrow path that leads to misery, it is the broad road that leads to joy.

 Mercy follows upon mercy, as the sun follows the rain.

 All people will come to the vision of God, just as certainly as they will come to know their true selves, for the vision of God and the fullness of the divine is at the center of all people, connecting us to one another, making us whole.

 Accept the parentage of the divine. Take up the task God has set before us. Love justice, be merciful, make peace.

 The divine providence belongs to all people, the use of it comes through sharing.

 If you are abused and persecuted for the sake of peace and mercy; have no fear, the powers of sin and evil,  and the pain they bring, the reality of sickness and death, these are temporary and will end.

  

First Reading – Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13 ©

In Your Midst I Will Leave a Humble and Lowly People

 

Seek the Lord, all you, the humble of the earth, who obey his commands.

Seek integrity, seek humility: you may perhaps find shelter on the day of the anger of the Lord.

In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.

They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths.

But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145(146):6-10

The Blessedness of Those Who Hope in the Lord

I will praise my God all my days.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

  I will praise the Lord all my life,

 make music to my God as long as I exist.

Do not trust in princes to save you,

  they are only sons of men.

One day their breath will leave them, they will return to the ground;

  on that day perish all their plans.

Happy the one whose help is the God of Jacob,

 whose hope is in the Lord his God,

who made heaven and earth and all that is in them,

  who keeps faith for ever,

  who gives justice to the oppressed,

  who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord frees prisoners,

 he gives light to the blind,

  he raises the fallen.

The Lord loves the upright, cares for strangers,

  sustains orphans and widows;

  but the wicked he sends astray.

The Lord will reign for all ages,

  your God, O Zion, from generation to generation.

I will praise my God all my days.

 

 

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ©

God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

 

Alternate Acclamation – Matthew 5:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

Rejoice and be glad: your reward will be great in heaven.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel of Matthew 5:1 – 12a ©

How Happy Are the Poor in Spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

 

‘How happy are the poor in spirit;   theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God.

 

Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

The Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)