Special note: Instead of the “Presentation of the
Lord,” this Sunday’s reading come from the fourth Sunday of Ordinary time. My apologies for any disappointment.
First reading: Zep. 2:3; 3:12-13
“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.”
“But I will leave a remnant in your midst a people humble
and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the remnant of
Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak
no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall
pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.”
Second reading: 1 Cor. 1:26-31
“Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to
shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and
God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to
reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast
before God. It is due to him that you
are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written
‘Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.’”
Gospel reading: Mt. 5:1-12a
“When he 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 in 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 utter every kind of evil against you (falsely)
because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for
your reward will be great in heaven.’”
Introductory theme summary:
Rather than reflect on the many items listed in the famous
“Beatitudes” from our Lord’s “Sermon on the Mount,” which couldn’t help but
become too excessively long for this blog, it would be better to address the
principals mentioned by Paul in the second reading.
Reflection:
These words, “God chose the foolish of the world to shame
the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God
chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to
reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast
before God,” are truly some of the most overlooked principals of New Testament
thought today. What will surprise people
most is realizing they are as relevant today as they were to their
contemporaries; perhaps even more so.
Let’s start with the weak and the strong! Everywhere throughout our society we
celebrate and reward strength.
Professional athletes are paid outrageously high salaries. Olympians are treated as royalty, and if they
win a gold medal become financially set for life through commercial
endorsements. Our esteem of strength
isn’t limited to the physical, it also applies to power such as people who
occupy positions of authority. The
President or CEO of a company enjoys the same financial compensations as
professional athletes for example. We
are so committed to the competitive principals that separates those who are the
strongest that we mock the fostering of equality by rewarding
participation. Do any of those scoffers
consider the price of competitiveness?
To win, one must be willing to cause another to lose, and in most
circumstances at any cost. Ultimately,
even the quality of one’s own personal being due to the obsessive behavior
necessary to achieve at the highest levels that qualify for those astronomical
salaries. These principals are
completely contrary to God’s kingdom. Meanwhile,
those who are too weak to succeed in these competitive arenas are left to
pursue ordinary lives, which gives them ample time and opportunity to develop
their personal beings to the likeness of God’s, should they hear such a
call. And, in so doing they will
certainly become beloved of God while those who loved the world for the honors
the world gave them will be found void of love for the Father. Remember; “What profit would there be for one to gain the
whole world forfeit his life?” (Mt. 16:26a) Could there be a greater shame?
Now, let’s look at the foolish and the wise! With our society’s advancements in education
concerning the field of theology, our estimation of man’s capabilities in ascertaining
truth through historical examination has grown exponentially. In many cases this increase in the confidence
of man’s capabilities has resulted in a unique kind of arrogance. Modernism has increased in our society to
such an extent that we presume the faculties to ignore the teachings that have
come down to us through 2,000 years of tradition in order to change dogma as if
we can rewrite the truth. Do they really
presume all those people were wrong for all those years? One couldn’t make such an assertion without
denying belief in the guidance of the Holy Spirit as our Lord promised; and as
a result lose his/her Catholicity.
Perhaps they believe the apostles willfully and knowingly deceived their
contemporaries so as to fraudulently represent God to the rest of
humanity? The first reading assures us
that those who were to represent the remnant of God’s people through whom the
Messiah would bring salvation to all humanity were going to be above such
conduct. Thus; one can hardly make such
an accusation and at the same time claim authentic belief in Christianity. Meanwhile, countless souls continue to
practice the traditional Catholic devotions to our Lady and our Lord that
typify the humility of the ancient holy ones.
Scholars today look down on these devotions as suitable – but only for
the ignorant, as if to suggest there is no real merit in their practice; and as
a result look on the people who practice them as a kind of fool. They exempt themselves from needing to
practice these devotions because of their own advanced knowledge, which equates
to presumed wisdom. Be assured . . . the
proud will be humbled; and perhaps by the exultation of these very humble in
their midst.
Finally, my personal favorite, the lowly and despised who
count for nothing to reduce to nothing those who are something! Everywhere
you look, in all situations and circumstances, there are the overlooked and
insignificant people. No one seeks them
out or at times even notices them. Due
to their complete lack of all worldly valued attributes they tend to disappear
while in plain sight. This ‘lacking’ is
due to a genuine simplicity of being that is devoid of a spirit for greatness in the world, and it is by this
characteristic that they are clearly known as “the poor in spirit;” to whom the
kingdom belongs. Meanwhile, the great of
the world lavish the worldly glory of their preeminence in the world for their
own sake. In so doing they overlook the
real purpose of power, leadership, and influence, which is specifically, and
solely, for service. In order to retain
one’s place in the kingdom while becoming elevated to worldly greatness, one must
accept the role of slave, or at least servant, in sole dedication to meeting
the needs of all others. There is no
self-serving motivation permitted in God’s kingdom. All attributes of greatness are given for the
service of others, and never for the personal vanity of the individual
recipient. If the great of the world do
not freely embrace their own complete insignificance, they will be caused to face
their nothingness in retribution for their arrogance.
Come, let us stop pretending to give glory to the Lord and
actually give God the glory by practicing a disposition of humility in regard
to one’s self. Let the strong show
themselves as such by supporting the weak around them. And, let us all see the true equality of
everyone’s dignity despite any differences in distribution of gifts; for the
dispensing of the choicest gifts offers the unique opportunity, and
responsibility, to participate in God’s own providential love for humanity. 
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