2026/02/01 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Christina Oropeza, Love Your Neighbor Liaison
1 Corinthains 1:31
"Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord."
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."
My husband and I have been trying, and not always succeeding, in helping our son understand what humility means and looks like in his everyday interactions. Not an easy task for a 5-year-old. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he has a healthy dose of confidence – especially when his flag football team was 0-9 But, in a world that teaches us to boast, Jesus’ message here is completely the opposite.
Jesus turns our experience and visions of an earthly kingdom on its head and shows us what matters in a heavenly kingdom. Success, wealth, winning, pride – all the usual things we celebrate now are not what God champions. This message rings loudly today – in a world where it’s a sign of weakness to show mercy, justice, and compassion. We need to be Christ’s image bearers and bring light where it is so desperately needed.
When I need to make this concept as simple as possible – I tell my son “Remember what Jesus says, the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Let’s try allowing others to be first this week – in our thoughts, prayers and in the way we serve them.