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Today’s Word: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – February 1, 2026

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13

Psalm 146: 6-10

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Matthew 5:1-12

Greetings! I have had a long hiatus. But I’m pleased to be back. I am hoping to continue this blog a little more regularly again. I apologize for my absence. I am here to talk about and reflect on the readings for this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Advent and Christmas Season began a new liturgical year in the Catholic Church. So now we are in the Fourth Sunday back in Ordinary Time. If you remember, there are three cycles for the readings in the Catholic Church. We are now in Cycle A, so we will be reading mostly from Matthew’s Gospel. Additionally, today’s Gospel reading is one of my favorites from Matthew. It is where Jesus delivers his sermon about the Beatitudes during his Sermon on the Mount. 

As always, I am using The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition.

The readings today center on the theme of humility and that is what I will focus on today. In the First Reading, the prophet Zephaniah calls the people to “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,” (Zephaniah 2:3, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition). As I have mentioned before, it is good to praise God. One must do that with humility. Those that do,  God promises to leave a remnant to a “people humble and lowly,” (Zephaniah 3:12, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition), and will find refuge in His name.

The Psalm today reflects the idea to give glory and praise to God for the wonderful deeds he has done. God gave sight to the blind, food to the hungry, and looked out for the lowly and needy, among other great things. Therefore, as always, praise God.

St. Paul, in the Second Reading, observes that God purposefully chooses the foolish, weak, and lowly of the world to shame the wise and strong, ensuring that no one may boast except in the Lord. He writes, “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing to things that are, so that no flesh might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:28-29, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition). This reinforces the idea that God is all-powerful, all-good and deserving of our love and praise. No one, or nothing, should take the place of God, so being humble and accepting God’s will is a just thing to do. We are all children of God. Let us be like good sons and daughters to him.

In the Gospel today, Matthew gives us the Beatitudes as delivered by Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. As I mentioned, this is one of my favorite passages from the bible. As we are active partakers of the faith, or at least we should be, we receive the grace of God through our faith and works. Doing good works keeps us active in the faith and therefore keeps faith alive. By doing so, we produce good fruit from the Holy Spirit. In this manner, I believe, living out and acting on the Beatitudes is a great way to live the faith. In this way, we truly can receive God’s love, not that we don’t already have it, but through the Beatitudes we may feel undeservedly blessed.

Let us keep the faith. Let us grow more in faith by living a life through works that fully express our faith. In the world now, we need Peacemakers. Being a Peacemaker requires standing for human dignity and refusing to dehumanize others. This radical selflessness is what turns our lives into something for the glory of God.

I will leave you with this scripture. Everyone have a blessed day!

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.” (Galatians 6:18 – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition)

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Today’s Word: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 26, 2025

Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18

Psalms 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Luke 18:9-14

Today we reflect on the readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Looking at the readings for today, it appears the three readings from Sirach, Second Timothy and Luke’s Gospel show us a clear, but challenging, message – true prayer is rooted in humility, not pride. So let’s look at Today’s Word.

First, I will look at the Psalm today. Again, it is a hymn of praise and rejoicing. It is rejoicing in God’s justice and responsiveness to those who approach him with humility and sincerity. It also echoes the message from the first reading that the Lord will hear those with a humble heart when they make their cries heard.

“The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord,” (Sirach 35:17, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). This reading from the Book of Sirach establishes the core theme by emphasizing God’s justice and attentiveness to the humble. Sirach assures us that God is not swayed by outward status or wealth. He hears the prayers of those who cry out from a place of oppression or injustice and brings them mercy. 

In St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul is writing near the end of his life and reflects on his ministry with a posture of gratitude and faith, not pride. He tells Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). He persevered through hardships and is now in prison, and even then, did not give up his faith. Paul acknowledges that it was the Lord who stood by him and gave him the strength to persevere. His reliance on God, rather than his own abilities, serves as an example of humble faith. The reading continues with this line from the passage, which shows his enduring faith, “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition).

This leads us to today’s Gospel, which is again from Luke. Again, in this passage Jesus speaks a parable. Last week we heard the parable of the widow and unrighteous judge. This teaching for the day teaches us, I believe, about the power of humility. The parable in today’s Gospel contrasts a proud Pharisee with a humble tax collector. The Pharisee, praying in the Temple, boasts of his righteousness and religious deeds, even congratulating himself for not being like other sinners, particularly the tax collector, who is just a little ways away from the Pharisee. The Pharisee’s prayer is self-congratulatory rather than a humble appeal to God, while the tax collector, not even attempting to look up to heaven, simply prays, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition).  His prayer is short, from the heart, and humble.

As we know from other Gospel passages, the Pharisees liked to be seen while praying. They took seats of honor in the synagogue and such. They believed they needed to be seen by others to justify their own self-righteousness so they could be pleasing to God. That, of course, is simply not the case, as evidenced by the tax collector who is humbly praying to God for mercy because he is a sinner and knows it.  Jesus concludes the parable by saying, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition).

The readings challenge us to examine our hearts and the posture of our prayer. Do we approach God with a list of our accomplishments and a comparison of ourselves to others, like the Pharisee? Or do we come before God with honesty, recognizing our failings and our need for his mercy, like the tax collector? The message is that God values a contrite heart over religious posturing and self-righteousness. 

In the readings, humility is presented not as a weakness but, I believe,  as the key that unlocks God’s grace. The tax collector’s humble prayer was powerful precisely because it came from a place of honest self-awareness. And, as seen in the parable, it invites us to take a path of courageous humility and dependence on God. 

A concluding thought here is that readings seem to offer a reminder that our faith journey is not a race, (as Paul mentions in his letter) but is a continuous walk with God that requires reliance on his mercy. Like Paul, we can trust that in our weakness, God’s strength is sufficient.

I will leave you with the idea of persistence and remaining faithful and reliant on his mercy with this scripture from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians where he writes, “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition)

Stay strong with your faith and try to persevere through all hardships. And always…ALWAYS…give thanks to God!

kellym40 faith

Today’s Word: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 31, 2025

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Psalms 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Today’s readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time focus on the virtue of humility. Key themes include the call to be humble, serve others, and invite the less fortunate to our gatherings, reflecting that the humble will be exalted and the proud will be humbled. 

The passage from the Book of Sirach opens with “My son, perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.” (Sirach 3:17, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). This should  encourage us to conduct our affairs with humility, emphasizing that humility leads to greater love and favor with God. It advises against seeking what is beyond our strength and highlights that the greater you are, the more humble you should be.

The Psalm sings of God’s goodness in helping the poor, and reminds us that it is right and just in rejoicing before God. It calls for praise to God, who acts as the defender of the fatherless and the widow and provides for the needy, as the Psalmist says.

The Letter to the Hebrews compares the fear of Mount Sinai with the joy and community of Mount Zion, where we come to the city of the living God and to Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant,” (Hebrews 12:24, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). It highlights the spiritual reality of a community of the firstborn sons and citizens of heaven.

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us a parable about the social aspect of the Kingdom of God, advising guests not to take the place of honor at a banquet. He says, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). Jesus also says in his parable for the host to invite not those who are rich or in good stature, but invite the poor, the crippled, those less fortunate, as they cannot repay the kindness. This will solidify a blessing from God.

The combined readings guide believers to understand that God’s Kingdom operates on the principle of humility, self-emptying service, and inclusion. True spiritual value comes not from status or honor-seeking but from acknowledging God’s gifts, serving others, especially the poor, and accepting a humble position before God and society.