𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑻𝑯 𝑺𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑰𝑵 𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑹𝒀 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬, 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹 𝑨
February 1, 2026
Dear Parishioners,

Grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

The Sermon on the Mount – and the eight beatitudes in particular tell us new things about our human existence. The Sermon on the Mount gives a colorful description of what is possible for a person when he or she experiences God’s love in the way Jesus does. Jesus is not aiming to replace the Ten Commandments, because they remain vital for human life and for its survival. Later in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says explicitly that he has not come to abolish the Ten Commandments (“the Law”) but to complete or supplement them (5:17). The people have developed so much in the time between Moses and Jesus that this update is now not only possible but also necessary.

If we look at the beatitudes more closely, we see that Jesus does not place them all within the same time frame. The gentle, the mourners, the hungry, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers will be rewarded in the future. But the kingdom of heaven already belongs to the poor in spirit (5:3) and those persecuted in the cause of right (5:10).

The poor in spirit know that none of us has yet reached our fulfilment. They know that we cannot just sit down, because too much remains to be done. While we might have all we need – and often much more – others simply do not have enough. This means that we have to work in the cause of justice and righteousness, breaking through all the structures, barriers, customs, and laws, that hinder that justice.

The poor in spirit are the ones who are interested in that true justice, who are willing to undo the existing situation, and who consequently suffer violence and persecution because they struggle for what is right. Remember the importance of the time difference: what could not be done in the past will one day be possible. Things change with time, so we should not let the present situation become a lasting prison for those who are poor and marginalized in our societies.

The poor in spirit and those persecuted in the cause of right are the reason that all the other beatitudes are going to be fulfilled. They are the reason that all weeping, homelessness, injustice, poverty, and war will one day disappear from the face of the Earth. They are already liberated, and they ask for the liberation of all.

Have a blessed Sunday and an amazing week!

𝑅𝑒𝑣. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑠 𝑀𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑦, 𝑂.𝑃.