Sunday, January 29, 2017 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st Reading: Zep 2:3;3:12-13
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 1:26-31 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them:
Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.
Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.
THE GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE EXPERIENCE:
People fond of play of words write Beatitudes as BE-ATTITIDES. It’s a beautiful reminder that Christian attitude must be aligned to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Ingrained as the foundation of one’s attitude, the Beatitudes become subliminal, and will automatically come into play when the person is under pressure.
They say that the best way to know somebody’s personality is watch
him play basketball. It is in the spontaneity of the game that his subliminal tendencies come out. In the hard court you can observe if he is a team player, selfish, hot tempered, bashful, rough or vengeful. Whatever he shows of himself in the hard court is his real self.
Once the Beatitudes have become your attitude, you will be kind, humble, generous, patient and God-fearing even in your unguarded moments. Your spontaneous expression, for example, shall no longer be “sanababits” or “gaddamet” but “Jesus, mercy!” This requires the habit of reciting it as mantra over and over again until it becomes part of your attitude.
Habit formation is our best ally in molding attitudes. Those who love play of words will love this: HABIT is hard to remove. Remove H, and you still have “A BIT”. Remove H and A and you still have “BIT”. Remove H and A and B and you still have “IT”. Yes, you will always have it, no matter how you try to remove a habit.
So, if you want the Beatitudes to be your Attitudes, make them your habits so that they will become part of your person, and you will shine like a star to your brothers and sisters guiding them to the Son of God. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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