Seek The Lord All You Humble Of Heart

29-01-2017 FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (A)

SCRIPTURAL READING: 1. Zep. 2:3; 3:12-13

                                Ps. 146:7.8-9a.9bc-10 (R. Mt. 5:3)

                             2. 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Accl; Mt. 5:12a

                             3. Mt. 5:1-12a

THEME: SEEK THE LORD ALL YOU HUMBLE OF HEART

Suppose someone chances upon you suddenly as you are few steps away from the entrance of the church and asks you excuse sir or ma, could you please spare me few minutes of your time, and he says; I saw you walk in haste and I also followed you sir wondering where you where going only to discover you were coming to church, I am not a Christian but a pagan, I see people go to mosque, and church and yet I see no difference in them with respect to their attitude, I seriously want to know what kind of God they serve and why do you go to church? What will be your honest answer?

The real reason for coming to church should be to enter into an active relationship with God. It is from this relationship we seek to know him better, we seek to know what he likes and what he doesn’t like, we seek to listen to him and he listens to us, we seek to serve him and he serve us, we seek to understand his ways as for him, he already knows our way, we learn to wait on him even when he appears to be silent over an issue we have raised, we learn to allow him lead us on the path to peace, we learn to allow him inspire us daily each time we come him at mass, we learn to grow capacity for his word, we grow in reverence and adoration for him especially in him exposed in the blessed sacrament.

The result is that we begin to bear great fruit as the beatitudes lists out for us. Such fruit doesn’t come to a person without him or her entering into a perfect relationship with the lord. It is a movement from an emotion-centered worship into a real encounter with the lord. Into knowing his will and allowing him to do his will in our lives even when it appears to us strange and odd but the sure thing is that in the end, the joy is always ours.

We can only enter into a loving and pleasing relationship with the Lord if we are men and women of humility. Humility is not contained in just the expression, it is seen and felt in action.

Humility entails a readiness to surrender ones will as difficult as it is to the Lord.

Humility entails sincerely obeying the Lord.

Humility entails sincerely reverencing the Lord.

Humility means a readiness to listen to the Lord.

Humility entails sincerely seeking the Lord not because of what I want a solution out of my present circumstance but seeking to love the Lord with my whole heart and meditating on this love of the Lord.

Humility entails been steadfast in the faith.

It is only when I am humble can I begin to live out the beatitudes the Gospel of Matthew mentions in our liturgy today. The beatitudes (blessed) speaks to us of the spiritual joy and satisfaction that lasts regardless of conditions; that carries one through pain, sorrow, loss, and grief.

We all seek to be blessed but the problem is that we seek it in the things of this earth: position, money, fame, power, and sensual pleasure. Matt. 6:19 says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” verse 20 says “but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

If we seek to blessedness only in this world, it shows several things about us…

1. That we are carnal and corruptible, sinful and dying. Romans 8:5 says-those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. Verse 6 says “the mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace.” Verse 7 says “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” Verse 8 says “those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”
2. Man is deceived and blinded to his real need, that of a renewed spirit. 1 peter 1:23 says “for you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
3. Man is ignorant of the kingdom of heaven- he is misguided and deceived about it, he is unbelieving about it, he prefers something else to it, he is hardened to it, he is neglectful of it, he is unconcerned about it.

The man who is humble and seeking the Lord in truth will be focused on the spiritual things like Abraham our father in faith was. He focused on God and was patient with God even while God was preparing and making a future of blessedness for him. Jesus mentions about 8 blessed. Let us pay our attention on only one.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven: been poor in spirit does not mean that a man must be poverty-stricken and financially poor. Hunger, nakedness, and slums are not pleasing to God, especially in a world of plenty. Jesus is not talking about material poverty. He means what he says: poor in spirit. Being “poor in spirit” means several things

1. To acknowledge our utter helplessness before God, our spiritual poverty, our spiritual need. We are solely dependent upon God to meet our need.
2. To acknowledge our utter lack in facing life and eternity apart from God. To acknowledge that the real blessings of life and eternity come only from a right relationship with God.
3. To acknowledge our utter lack of superiority before all others and our spiritual deadness before God. To acknowledge that we are no better, no richer, no more superior than the next person-no matter what we have achieved in this world (fame, fortune, power). Our attitude toward others is not proud and haughty, not superior and overbearing. To be “poor in spirit” means acknowledging that every human being is a real person just like everyone else-a person who has a significant contribution to make to society and to the world. The person “poor in spirit” approaches life in humility and appreciation, not as though life owes him, but as though he owes life. He has been given the privilege of living; therefore, he journeys through life with a humble attitude and he contributes all he can to a needy world out of a spirit.
4. The opposite of being “poor in spirit” is having a spirit that is full of self. There is a world of difference between these two spirits. There is the difference of thinking that we are righteous versus acknowledging that we need the righteousness of Christ. There is the difference of being self-righteous versus being given the righteousness of Christ. Self-righteousness goes no farther than self; that is, it goes no farther than death. Self-dies and everything with self-including our self-righteousness. But the righteousness that is of Christ lives forever.

The person who truly acknowledges his spiritual poverty is a person who turns his primary attention away from the things of this world. He knows things can never make him rich in spirit. (B.) he turns his primary attention to God and his kingdom. He knows God alone can make him rich in spirit. (C.) the poor in spirit are those who approach the world as a child. D.) the poor in spirit receive forgiveness of sin and God’s continued remembrance: the assurance that God will never forget. Heb. 8:12 “for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (E.) the poor in spirit receive a fellowship with other believers who walk as they walk. Eph. 2:21 “in him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” Acts 2:42 “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (F.) the poor in spirit receive the gift of life that is forever: the eternal fellowship with both God and the congregation of those who are poor in spirit. Rom. 8:15 “for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of Sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Rom. 8:16 “The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus please release us from self-pride and give us the grace to be docile and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Amen.