4th Sunday of the Year A, 2017

May the almighty God give you the special grace to live out the beatitudes every moment of your life. Happy Sunday!
+ John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Zephaniah 2,3; 3,12-13; 1 Cor 1, 26-31 ; Matt 5,1-12,: 4th Sunday of the Year A,  2017)

 In the gospel reading of today, Jesus proclaims in a very solemn manner the beatitudes. Proclaiming this from a mountain, Mathew presents Jesus as the new Moses who proclaims the new law, the statutes of the new people of God, the people of the new covenant, which is the Church. The beatitudes which he proclaims are not abstract precepts, nor theoretical enunciations but rather true characteristics of Jesus himself which are verifiable in his life as we see in the Gospel narratives. He is per excellence the poor in spirit, the afflicted, the meek, the one who thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, the operator of peace and the persecuted.   

            The disciple of Jesus, the true Christian, is the one who follows the master and incarnates the beatitudes in his life after the Christ’s example. The first beatitude which Jesus enunciates is: How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is a typical example of this beatitude. He was born, lived and died poor. Poverty in spirit does not only mean interior detachment from material things but also connotes the idea that it is chosen and willed and that it is not endured out of necessity or undertaken on account of circumstances. The one who is poor in spirit is one who refrains from the accumulation of the goods of the world, one who chooses to live not paying any iota of attention to money, power or career. He is also one who refuses to get involved in the worship of money or power. The poor of the beatitudes are like the poor about which both Zephaniah and Paul speak. These are people who, in engaging themselves in life, repose their hope especially on God. They are free from selfishness and ambition for power, from avidity for wealth. They are people who, no matter how badly the world treats them, remain attached to God, repose all their confidence in him and entrust themselves into his hands, assured that God will never disappoint them and for this reason they are very happy.

  What one finds a bit jolting in the proclamation of the beatitudes is that Jesus declares blessed or happy the category of people whom the world considers unhappy: the poor, afflicted, the persecuted, etc. It is not to be understood that Jesus exalts and beatifies any situation of suffering and sorrow as such; this would be some special type of masochism. The situation of suffering remains what it is. But the reaction of the Christian about it should be different from that of the world. The world anchors the foundation of her joy and happiness in the possession of the goods of this world, in wealth, success, pleasure or something of this kind. However, the gospel invites one to set the foundation of his joy on the love of God, a love that promises unfailing security in the midst of any crisis in which one may find himself. The joy of the beatitudes is based on the certainty of a happy future which will be the gift of God. It is also based on the joyful realization that right now, it is possible to have a foretaste of the joy, on account of the spiritual disposition which the beatitudes make possible. This spiritual disposition as well as the moral attitudes emanating from the beatitudes should not remain interior, individualistic and abstract; neither should it be left to be passive. It should not have a private but rather a public and concrete aspect. The spiritual disposition should lead to a very courageous undertaking for justice and peace, from individual faithful as well as the entire Christian community. What is expected from the Christian is not passive surrender but concrete and active task in favour of peace and justice.

 We mentioned above that true follower of Christ is the one who incarnates the beatitudes in himself/herself especially in his/her heart, where the reign of God has its root. It is, therefore, opportune that we ask ourselves if our moral profile corresponds to those traced by the beatitudes, that is to say, if we are truly people who do not run after the goods of the world considering it as the mirage of happiness. We examine ourselves to find out if we trust in God and confide in him. We need to ask if we are people that are humble and simple and sincere in heart, who are not ambitious and full of the arrogant air of one who has arrived. Are we people who do not believe in violence but desirous to work for justice and peace with the force of love, also capable to suffer and bear persecution for the cause of good. Are we merciful? It is necessary that we Christians assume and imitate this evangelical mentality and believe that through them to be happy, already in this world as far as it is possible to human condition, but hopefully to be permanently happy in the next life.

 Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

graphics  by chukwubike