4th Sunday
Zeph 2:3, 3:12-13; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12
Beatitudes as our Attitudes
In today’s world, a person’s importance is often measured by wealth, power, and fame. Weakness or powerlessness is generally despised. The liturgical readings invite us to examine our own attitudes of domination and to embrace the Beatitudes as our pattern for living.
Path to Heaven: Jesus outlines the values and attitudes necessary to enter and enjoy God’s kingdom. The Beatitudes, part of the Sermon on the Mount, present the essential aspects of Christian behavior required to attain Christian perfection. They express the personal qualities that Jesus’ disciples are called to imitate.
There are thirty-seven Beatitudes in the New Testament, of which seventeen are teachings of Jesus. Writing for Jewish Christians, Matthew presents Jesus as the new Moses, teaching from the mountain that Christianity is not merely about obeying the Ten Commandments, but something more profound. In essence, the Beatitudes fulfill and complete the Ten Commandments. While the Commandments, given to Moses on Mount Sinai, are expressed through prohibitions—“Thou shalt not”—Jesus presents the Beatitudes in a positive light. They are virtues to be lived out, leading ultimately to the reward of salvation—not in this world, but in the next.
Twofold Image: The Beatitudes present a twofold image. On one hand, they express what we are called to do and be: poor in spirit, meek, merciful, clean of heart, and so on. These qualities reflect the very nature of God, in whose image we are created. When we embrace and reflect this image to the world, we walk in harmony with God’s will. Jesus tells us that true happiness is found in meekness—being gentle, self-controlled, and God-controlled.
The meek are those who have surrendered themselves completely to God, rather than becoming aggressive, demanding, or self-assertive. Meekness or gentleness is the ability to be angry with the right people, about the right things, at the right time, and to the right degree. True meekness allows us to fight for justice through peaceful means, as exemplified by Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela.
The second image reflected in the Beatitudes is the call to endure suffering—mourning, hunger for righteousness, persecution, and insults for the sake of Jesus. These experiences point to the promise of eternal life for those who live virtuously. Unconditional forgiveness, as well as the humility to seek pardon for our wrongs, are signs of a merciful heart. The Christian who chooses the path of righteousness will inevitably face trials and struggles. Yet God never abandons such a person—the reward of heaven awaits just beyond the hardship. These attitudes and actions are essential for attaining eternal happiness. While the world chases material joy, the Beatitudes direct us toward the eternal joy of heaven.
Choose the Way Wisely: The first and second readings remind us that humility is the key to happiness and the path to heaven. The prophet Zephaniah lived in a time when the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen to the Assyrians, and the southern kingdom was threatened by the Babylonians. Zephaniah believed that military might and the pursuit of power could not bring true fulfillment. Genuine human fulfillment, he taught, comes only through finding and submitting oneself to God.
Similarly, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians—well-versed in philosophy and blessed with spiritual gifts—of the contrast between Christ’s values and those of the world. He urges them not to boast before God, but to use their gifts for the good of the community, not for self-glorification (1 Cor 12:12–26).
Christians who embrace humility, mercy, and perseverance in adversity are, in truth, the most successful people. A beautiful example of such virtues is St. John XXIII. One of his first acts as Pope was to visit a large prison in Rome. He told the prisoners, “You couldn’t come to see me, so I came to you.” He humbly admitted that the last time he had visited a prison, it was to see his own cousin, who had been incarcerated. Such humility reflects the heart of Christ.
The Didache, a first-century Christian catechism, begins with these words: “There are two ways: one of life and one of death; and there is a great difference between the two ways.” The way of life is the way of Jesus—a path leading to eternal life.
The challenge of the Beatitudes is this: Will we seek happiness in the world’s way or in Christ’s way? Those who choose wisely, who live by the values of the Beatitudes, continuously examine their attitudes, strive to imitate Jesus, and grow deeper in relationship with Him. May the Beatitudes truly become the attitudes of our lives.
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