4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Zeph. 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Mt. 5:1-12

Every human heart long for happiness. From the earliest civilizations to the modern digital age, people have searched for happiness in wealth, power, success, relationships, pleasure, and security. Advertisements promise happiness if we buy the right product. Social media suggests happiness lies in popularity and recognition. Society tells us: “Blessed are the rich, the powerful, the famous, the strong.”

But when Jesus begins His greatest sermon—the Sermon on the Mount—He shocks His listeners. He does not speak of success, strength, or achievement. Instead, He speaks of poverty, mourning, meekness, hunger, mercy, purity, peacemaking, and persecution. He calls these people “blessed,” or truly happy.

The Beatitudes are not rules or commandments; they are portraits of the heart of Christ. They reveal what the Kingdom of God looks like from the inside. They turn the world’s values upside down and invite us to walk a path that seems foolish to the world

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

 Is. 9:1-4; 1 Cor. 1:10-13, 17-18; Mt. 4:12-23

On a cold evening during the Second World War, a small village lay in darkness under a strict blackout. Inside a modest home, a frightened child noticed a single lamp glowing in the distance. “Why would someone risk lighting a lamp now?” he asked. His mother replied softly, “Because someone else needed hope more than safety.” That solitary light did not end the war, but it pierced the darkness and changed a heart forever. The Gospel today begins in a similar way—not with armies or palaces, but with a light dawning in darkness and a simple invitation spoken to ordinary people: “Follow me.”

When Jesus hears of John the Baptist’s arrest, he withdraws to Galilee. Matthew carefully notes that Jesus settles in Capernaum, in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, fulfilling Isaiah’s ancient prophecy: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” Galilee was considered insignificant. Yet it is precisely there that God’s light shines first. This tells us something essential: God’s call does not wait for ideal conditions. Jesus enters places of confusion, pain, and uncertainty.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

 Is. 49:3, 5-6; 1 Cor. 1:1-3; Jn. 1:29-34

One evening, a young boy was walking home from school when he noticed smoke rising from a nearby house. Without thinking twice, he ran toward the fire and shouted for help. Neighbors rushed out, and together they managed to rescue an elderly woman trapped inside. When reporters later asked the boy why he ran toward danger instead of away from it, he simply said, “I saw someone who needed help.” The boy did not seek praise. He only pointed to the need.

This simple story reminds us of John the Baptist. He did not seek attention for himself. Instead, he pointed away from himself and toward Jesus, saying, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John’s life teaches us that true greatness lies not in being seen, but in helping others see Christ.