HOW HEAVENLY TO YIELD TO OUR NEED FOR GOD

V/ My eyes are turned to you, O Lord.

R/ You are the joy and gladness of my youth.

V/ Grant me the Wisdom that sits by your throne.

R/ That I may dwell as a child in your presence.

Let us pray. Lord, in your loving design, you have drawn me here to encounter you in your Word and, in you, to find myself. Empower me by your Wisdom, that this meditation may be a font of transformation and freedom, bearing fruit for my salvation and that of the whole Church. Amen

HOW HEAVENLY TO YIELD TO OUR NEED FOR GOD

By Fr Clement Obiorah, OCD

Reflection for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13; Psalm 145(146):6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

A seductive illusion permeates the modern world, quietly whispering that our worth is measured by our pleasure and our independence. However, on this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the liturgy invites us to dismantle this illusion. We are called to discover a profound paradox: the constant awareness of need is not weakness, but the deceptive belief that we are self-sufficient.

In the Second Reading, St. Paul speaks with loving bluntness to the Corinthians, a community tempted to boast of their wisdom, influence, and noble birth. He reminds us that God chose “what is foolish by human reckoning” and “what is weak” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Why? To shatter the illusion that we can save ourselves.

The Prophet Zephaniah offers the antidote, speaking of a “humble and lowly people” who “seek refuge in the name of the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:12). This “Remnant” realises that material prosperity is not the same as divine blessing. They have stopped posturing; they have stopped pretending to be in control. Instead, they yield only to grace.

In the Gospel, the Beatitudes imply this same gentle yielding. When we admit our need, we are not degrading ourselves; we are stepping into reality. Jesus sketches the portrait of a human being who has let go of the illusion of control:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit: Those who know they are beggars before God.
• Blessed are the gentle: Those who do not need to dominate others to feel secure.
• Blessed are the merciful: Those who know they need forgiveness themselves, and therefore pour it out to others.

This is the “generosity that comes from a formed relationship.” When we acknowledge our neediness, we become gentle with the needs of others. When we realise we are held by God, we become safe harbours for our neighbours too. This realisation of God’s presence in our midst is truly heavenly.

We often view heaven as a distant reward, yet Jesus says of the poor in spirit: “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). It is in the present tense. St. Thérèse of Lisieux found her “heaven” precisely in acknowledging her littleness. As she wrote: “The elevator which must raise me to heaven is Your arms, O Jesus! And for this I had no need to grow up, but rather I had to remain little and become this more and more”.

Heaven begins the moment we surrender self-sufficiency. Elizabeth of the Trinity describes this state not as a distant place, but as a present reality: “It seems to me that I have found my heaven on earth, since heaven is God, and God is in my soul”. In these humble states—our mourning, our hunger for justice, our simple poverty of spirit—God is intimately present. As Edith Stein reminds us, when the soul leaves the self to enter divine life, “it has become great and expansive”.

Today, let us embrace the beauty of humble intentions, unafraid of our fragility. Rather than shying away from our needs, let us celebrate them, for they serve as the open door through which the King of Glory may enter.