FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, FEBRUARY 1, 2026

Fresco of Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount in the church Dreifaltigkeitskirche by August Müller (1923).

MASS READINGS

Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 

He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

REFLECTION

Today we read and hear the Sermon of the Mount from St. Matthew's perspective. In the previous Bible passage Jesus had just called His disciples and had begun preaching all over Galilee. The crowds and the disciples follow Him and He starts to teach them.

Who are the beatitudes addressed to?

Probably one or a few of these attributes can be applied to each person in the crowd, including the disciples. Saint Paul in his letters to Corinthians tells us of the paradoxes of his life: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”  (2 Cor 4:8–9).

If we take a look, all of these attributes can be applied to Jesus. He was all of that: poor in spirit, mourned, is meek, hunger for righteousness, merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers, persecuted, insulted and falsely accused. He is letting us know that these paradoxes in life are part of discipleship. And He is leading and living by example.

Pope Benedict XVI tells us:

This reflection upon Paul and John has shown us two things. First, the Beatitudes express the meaning of discipleship. They become more concrete and real the more completely the disciple dedicates himself to service in the way that is illustrated for us in the life of Saint Paul. What the Beatitudes mean cannot be expressed in purely theoretical terms; it is proclaimed in the life and suffering, and in the mysterious joy, of the disciple who gives himself over completely to following the Lord. This leads to the second point: the Christological character of the Beatitudes. The disciple is bound to the mystery of Christ. His life is immersed in communion with Christ: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). The Beatitudes are the transposition of Cross and Resurrection into discipleship. But they apply to the disciple because they were first paradigmatically lived by Christ himself.

I recall pious movies from the past where the saint that was portrayed and was about to be crucified would kiss that instrument of torture. After reading Pope Benedict's explanation it makes sense.

In my life the crosses are not made out of wood, or are as dramatic as what Jesus went through. The challenge is not to be afraid of them, but to understand and love them since they are the way God is helping me head towards Heaven.

Saint Alphonsus has a great booklet called "Uniformity with God's will". In here the good Doctor of the Church explains and guides us to follow Christ and understand how God's will for us is our salvation, specially when "bad things" happen to us, and what they really mean for our soul's eternal life.

Pray with us St. Alphonsus submission to Jesus prayer so our will can be united to God's.

God bless y'all!

Source: Book: Jesus of Nazareth