SERMON : good things come to those who wait

The liturgy of our fourth Sunday in ordinary time is based on the following readings: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a. The main theme is on the “blessedness” which begins in this life and will have its fullness in the next. In a way this Sunday’s theme is about the life style brought forward by Christ himself and based on Christian humility. It is a kind of humility which has something to do with sincerity and truth as man grasps his or her true position in the universe without much exaggeration or under estimation of the self. The kind of humility spoken of in the beatitudes has nothing to do with playing a door mat or living as lowly as a worm. Jesus himself detested that kind of life as he healed the sick and warned the Pharisees and the scribed not to him for granted. A false lowliness or humility would be contrary to the Christian teaching which is about the liberation of man from all evils; poverty and ignorance included. Christianity fosters a life which recognizes that our relationship to God and others must be based on the freedom we have got from God and the truth from the fact that God is our creator and we are all brothers and sisters; it is therefore an understanding beyond any myopic self –absorption. The humble person, in a Christian sense, recognizes that he has a definite place in the universe, a mission and role to play, which is not necessarily the first place always! It is at this realistic point of facing the truth, that humility is not counted among the popular virtue. It is good that our culture celebrates winners and demands explanations to the losers. But there is still a danger that modern man is lost in these competitions to be at the top of every heap, where he may sit exhausted, only to recognize that what is worn is one sided race, hence in need of a flesh beginning. The Beatitudes; lowliness and humility do not ignore the importance of human effort to better the world as well as earthly achievements. These are essential and in line with man’s vocation at creation; to conquer the earth and make it a better world to live in. The kind of humility talked of in our liturgy is the humility which is truth. Our search for success should not be divorced from a sincere and deep consideration of the purpose of our life. That awareness is essential in man today. When success is not well managed and oriented, it can pit our human ego against God and our neighbours in a way which may be very antagonistic. That kind of success may make man lose the point. Humility on the other hand, which is among the distinguished characteristics of those who truly seek God, would help us to relate well with our Creator, both in our success and failures. From a pastoral point of view, we may say that the beatitudes are signposts of the Good News that Jesus came to give us. They point at a kind of life that must be lived beyond self glorification, a life which seeks to give and to share, in other words, a Christ-like life. Yet a problem arises in our modern situation when we speak of Christian humility. Do Christian humility and the living of the Beatitudes mean living in total poverty or as destitute? Far from it! Self degradation would be in itself the counterfeit of Christian humility and a tremendous lack of true charity to the self. Taking the beatitudes literally would not be a service to the teaching of Christ, the same as doing away with them completely, would be to ignore the gist of the teaching of Christ. In a practical way and in our modern situation, living the Beatitudes requires great character and a lot of grace. It is, in many ways, the small and steep way which leads to the Kingdom. What we must all remember is that in the midst of our scraping climbing, God recognizes our efforts and good will. And he gives us an interior assurance that we are heading in the right direction. We need therefore to hold on to this with both hands, since compared to other approaches to life, living the Beatitudes is definitely a route of delayed gratification. But as the saying goes; patience pays and “good things come to those who wait.” And when it comes to waiting; there’s nothing worth the wait more than life eternal! Ends