4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Today I would like to share an incident about a brother priest of mine. He was transferred to a new parish. Some weeks after he arrived, he needed to take the bus to a nearby town. When he sat down, he realized that the driver had given him an extra two rupees (about 25¢). He thought to himself, “I better give it back, it would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, it is only two rupees, such a small amount, it is a gift from God.” When his stop came, he hesitated at the door and handed the money back to the driver. The driver smiled and asked, “Are you the new priest in the village?” And the priest said, “Yes.” “Well, I have been thinking about going somewhere to pray. I wanted to see what you would do if I gave you extra change. You will see me at church on Sunday.” When the priest got off the bus, he closed his eyes and said, “Oh God, I almost sold you for a quarter.”
In that thirty minutes on the bus, that priest lived all seven of the Beatitudes. He was poor in spirit, not greedy. Blessed are they who mourn, he gained a new parishioner. He was meek and knew that the money was not his. He was righteous and he was satisfied. By giving the money back, he will receive mercy from God. His heart was clean, and he will see God. He was a peacemaker because he did not keep, what was not his.
Today’s readings explain our Christian goal of eternal happiness. They give us an outline for living like Christ. Jesus expected his disciples to live like Him. The Beatitudes present a positive way to live. The virtues we will receive from following the Beatitudes will lead to salvation for our souls.
Jesus teaches his disciples the blessedness of poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution. In poverty, we recognize God’s reign; in hunger, His providence; in sorrow, true happiness; and in persecution, true joy. In other words, the blessed ones are those who are poor in spirit, compassionate, meek, merciful, and clean of heart. They are the peacemakers and those who are willing to be insulted and persecuted for their faith.
The Beatitudes are almost like a guideline for the Ten Commandments. The Beatitudes simply guide us to a righteous and loving way of life. By living the Beatitudes, we will find happiness with God because only God can satisfy the heart. We will become better individuals and better members of our church. To be a true Christian, we give first place to God.
We need to respond to the challenges of the Beatitudes in our daily life. Millions of people are starving, persecuted, and homeless, and lead hopeless lives. The Beatitudes challenge us to be compassionate people, even when this exposes us to ridicule and persecution. We can learn from Saint Mother Teresa who showed us how to accept the challenges of living the Beatitudes in the modern world. Let us remember that each time we reach out to help the needy and the sick, we share the promises of the Beatitudes.
We need to choose wisely. The way of life is the way of Jesus that leads to eternal life. The challenge of the Beatitudes is this: Are you going to be happy in the world’s way, or in Christ’s way? If we choose the world’s way, we are seeking our blessings in the wrong place. The way of Jesus requires toil and suffering in working for the poor, the sick, and the hungry. The blessing of the Beatitudes is the possession of the Kingdom of God.
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