30/01/2011 - 4 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY SEASON - Year A
1Reading Sof 2,3; 3, 12-13 Psalm 145 2Reading 1 Cor 1, 26-31 Gospel Mt 5, 1-12
We have heard these words of the Lord even in the liturgy for all saints. Today
we can say that if we really want to understand and understand it correctly, we
need only to look in their lives and try to imitate their way to love God and the
brethren. What does it means "blessed are the poor in spirit"? Look at
Saint Francis of Assisi! And how about "blessed are those who cry "? Look
at Saint Gemma Galgani, or blessed Miriam of Jesus crucified. If then you want to
know what it means "blessed are the meek", you just need to listen to
the voice of St. Francis de Sales, or Saint John Calabria. "Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for justice", i.e. the desire to do the will of God,
makes you think of Saint Anthony of Padua or Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. If you then
want to see who lives the "blessed are the merciful," keep in mind this
Saint John Mary Vianney or Saint Leopold Mandiç. "Blessed are the pure in heart"
is characteristic of Saint Louis Gonzaga and martyrs like Saint Lucy and Saint Agnes,
but also Saint Nicholas de la Flue. They are many "the peacemakers", all
those who worked to alleviate suffering and injustices: Saint John Bosco, Saint
Philip Neri, blessed Teresa of Calcutta, blessed Louis Orione, Saint Camille de
Lellis, and countless other imitators. The word: "blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness", make us enlist thousands of names, martyrs of
the past to those of our times like the ones of Lager Nazis and Soviet Gulags and
those present not only China and Sudan, but also of our countries, where the faith
in Jesus is banned and those who believe are redicule and marginalized.
Each of the Saints is an open window towards heaven, is a living comment of all
of the Beatitudes. It is beautiful that the saints are not heroes, are not of noble
character and powerful, but generally come from poverty and remained poor. Many
of them, beginning with the Apostles, come from experiences of hard work and suffering:
fishermen, shepherds, slaves, peasants ... Just as St. Paul says today: "God
chose what is foolish in the world to confound the wise", "there are not
many among you learned from the human point of view, nor many powerful, nor many
nobles". The list of Saints is a demonstration of the truth of these words.
The noble and powerful are a tiny minority among the Saints in heaven, but also
among the Saints on Earth, amongst us who live here now the words of Jesus. Already
the Prophet Zephaniah said: "I will leave in the midst of thee a people humble
and the poor". Let us enjoy our poverty, let us enjoy being despised by the
world, let us not complain of the persecution which Christians around the world
are suffering. They are our glory, because we pride ourselves of the cross of the
Lord. And even when we are the target of those who want to destroy the Church, even
then we rejoice, because we are aware that our life is the only light that shines
in the darkness, the only salt that can save the world and give a good flavour to
every place where people live. Jesus himself will give us the strength to sing and
rejoice, because we could wait for the "reward in heaven."