Homily for the
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Feb. 1, 2026
Matt 5: 1-12
1 Cor 1: 26-31
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
The Sermon on the Mount
(Cosimo Rosselli)
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up
the mountain, and … he began to teach them” (Matt 5: 1-2).
When Moses went up Mt. Sinai, God gave
him the 10 Commandments and the rest of the laws that were to guide and govern
Israel. St. Matthew presents Jesus as
the new Moses who ascends a mountain—really, it’s just a hillside near the Sea
of Galilee—and gives his disciples a new law.
This is the Sermon on the Mount, which takes up ch. 5-7 of Matthew’s
Gospel. We’ll read parts of ch. 5 on the
next 2 Sundays before we begin Lent on Feb. 18, which has its own cycle of
gospel readings.
The Sermon on the Mount begins with
what we call the Beatitudes. They’re not
10 in number, but 8. Nevertheless,
they’re Christ’s new set of commandments—not to replace the 10 Commandments
from Mt. Sinai but to supplement or perfect them. On Feb. 15, we’ll hear Jesus say, “Don’t
think I’ve come to abolish the law or the prophets. I’ve come to fulfill them” (Matt 5:17). He adds, “Unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees, you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20). The Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on
the Mount instruct us on how to build on what Moses taught so as to become more
like Jesus, the Son of God.
(Vatican News)
In fact, in 2020 Pope Francis called the
Beatitudes “the ‘identity card’ of Christians because they outline the face of
Jesus himself, his style of living. . . .
These ‘new commandments’ are much more than a set of rules. Indeed, Jesus does not impose anything but
reveals the way of happiness—his way—by repeating the word ‘blessed’ eight
times.”[1]
A preacher I know refers to the Sermon on the
Mount’s first words as “a lesson plan—instruction in how to achieve holiness
and happiness by being a disciple of Christ.”[2] In fact, some translations use the word happy
rather than blessed. But blessed
is more suggestive of our spiritual dependence on and hope in God. We’re concerned about more than just an
earthly or emotional happiness.
The Beatitudes propose to us virtues: poverty of spirit or detachment from material
goods; mourning or sadness at the evil in the world; mildness and humility; a
desire for holiness. They tell us how to
act so as to become holy: be merciful,
be pure, be peaceable, be completely committed to God’s kingdom.
Take note that Jesus addresses this message
to “the crowds” who’ve come to him. It’s
not just for the 12 apostles, not just for a restricted or special circle of
his friends, not just for priests and nuns.
It’s for everyone. It’s for our
practical lives as his followers.
For example, we’re called to “hunger and
thirst for righteousness.” That means
being in a right relationship with God—pursuing holiness. It also means wanting what’s right, what’s
just. Jesus’ teaching has social and
cultural implications. He tells us, his
disciples, that we’re blessed if people insult us and persecute us and utter
evil against us falsely for following him.
Insult, lies, and persecution are exactly what’s happened to people in
some American cities when they’ve spoken up for and tried to defend their
vulnerable neighbors, fellow human beings created in God’s image. It means being merciful to the poor, the
hungry, the refugee, those in danger—in our country or anywhere else.
Is this political? Yes. It’s
the politics of putting the Gospel into practice, which is our right and our
responsibility as citizens and as disciples of Jesus.
USCCB
Back in November, the bishops of the U.S.
issued a statement on immigrants. Among
other things, they said: “We are
saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of
immigrants. We are concerned about the
conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United
States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. . . . We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation
of people. We pray for an end to
dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law
enforcement.”[3] That was back in November.
A few days later, Pope Leo backed up the
bishops and told reporters, “When people are living good lives—and many of them
for 10, 15, 20 years—to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to
say the least,” is not acceptable.[4]
Last week Abp. José
Gomez of Los Angeles wrote for his archdiocese that “America was the first
nation to be established on the belief that human rights come from God and that
the government’s purpose is to protect these rights,” and that “we do not lose
our rights based on the color of our skin, or the language we speak, or for not
having the proper documents.” Bp.
Anthony Taylor of Little Rock wrote in his diocesan paper, “This is a pro-life
issue. And it will remain a pro-life
issue so long as millions of people continue to live lives trapped in desperate
circumstances, where countries with means refuse to help.”[5]
In one of his parables, Jesus tells us that
on the Last Day we’ll be judged in part by how we’ve treated strangers. He’ll say to the saved, the sheep of his
flock: “I was a stranger and you
welcomed me.... As often as you did it
for one of my least brothers and sisters, you did it for me.” And to those going to hell, he’ll say, “As
often as you neglected to do it to one of these least ones, you neglected to do
it to me.” (Matt 25:31-46)
St. Paul tells the Christians of Corinth—and
us—that they and we aren’t “wise by human standards,” nor powerful nor highborn
(1 Cor 1:26). Rather, they and we have
been chosen by God for a different standard than the wealth, power, and glory
that the high and mighty of the earth strive for. God has called us to find our wisdom personified
in Jesus Christ. He’s called us for
holiness thru our union with Jesus (1:30), which flows from his lesson plan,
his way of happiness, laid out in the Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on
the Mount.
[1] General
Audience of 29 January 2020 at www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2020.
[2] Deacon Greg Kandra, Scripture
Reflection for Feb. 1, 2026, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, The Pilot
online, 1-28-26.
[3] U.S.
Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in
Baltimore | USCCB (website).
[4] Cindy Wooden, Pope
calls treatment of migrants in U.S. 'extremely disrespectful' | USCCB (CNS,
Rome, 11/19/25).
[5] Gina Christian, More
US bishops warn: ‘The country cannot go on like this’ - OSV News, 1/28/26.
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