Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

If there is one overarching message in our readings today, it is that God’s values and priorities are radically different than what we seem to think is important. He is not impressed with position, power, influence, or worldly priorities. It is especially worth noting that He is particularly unimpressed with those who boast of their standing.
In Saint Paul’s letter to the people of Corinth, he illustrates the disparity between what is seen as commendable in the world such as strength, wisdom, and social position, and how God views these attributes. He will use the weak, the unworldly, and those who are despised by society to lead and instruct those who would boast of their standing. The only sanctification and righteousness that God is concerned with is humble adherence to God’s will. If we are to boast of anything, it will only be that we boast of our reliance upon our God. This should lead us to what can be an uncomfortable question – when is the last time we boasted of our reliance upon our Maker in front of others? When was the last time we openly praised God to show our love and admiration for him in front of others? These things often seem awkward to us socially, yet as believers, we need to align with God’s values and not worry about what others may think of us so much. We need to turn our own conduct and values pretty much on their ear.
Jesus was incredibly plain in his description of what is truly important. He tells us to value things that we often interpret as weaknesses. Meekness, humility, hunger, mercy, and poverty of spirit. These are not the things we often view as personal strengths. We seem them through the lens of human priorities because we so often forget that our thinking needs constant realignment with God’s ways. He needs none of these things from us, because compared to His own strengths, ours are beyond trivial, they are positively laughable manifestations within us. What IS important is the ability to be so much less impressed with what we bring to the table, and instead focus on with great need, what God provides us with. To look upon others knowing they are in need just as we are, with meekness, mercy, compassion, cleanness of heart, and the desire to help them connect with the only source of all goodness – God. To seek to show them through our own lives the needs that we all share, and that only God can satisfy. To boast of our reliance, weakness, hunger, and thirst that search constantly for satisfaction through God, even though we often don’t recognize these desires accurately. The only way for others, and perhaps even ourselves, to really recognize what we are called to, is often through emulation. To see that it is desirable to be the merciful, the peacemakers, even the persecuted, as we offer these things up to God in our way of living. To be truly children of the Father, and to ask him for all that we need as we cry out Abba – like small children before our source of all love, giving, and protection. God be praised!