Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Radical Call of The Beatitudes

Sunday, 1 February 2026.

This morning we heard one of my favourite readings from the Gospel of Matthew: the outrageously radical call of the Beatitudes. When Jesus sat on that mountainside, he didn’t give his followers a to-do list of exhausting requirements or some impossible-to-achieve manifesto. Instead, he painted an upside down portrait of a new kingdom, where the very people the world so frequently overlooks are the ones who will stand firmly in the center of God’s favour.

It’s honestly such a deeply uplifting thought: that God’s definition of what makes us “blessed” has almost nothing to do with what we’ve achieved, and everything to do with what’s in our hearts. He looks at the poor in spirit, those who feel they have nothing left to give, and says, “The kingdom is yours.” He looks at those who mourn, or those who hunger for things to be made right, and promises that they aren’t just seen; they will be comforted and fulfilled.

In the ledger of the world we live in, we’re taught that we have to earn our seat at the table. But the Beatitudes tell us that the table is already set: for the humble, the merciful, the poor, the tired, and the peacemakers. The Beatitudes are the most beautiful of reminders that we don’t have to be “enough” on our own, because God’s grace meets us exactly where we are. In God’s kingdom you don’t have to be the strongest or the most successful. It’s enough to recognise your soul’s need for Him, and it’s in that space that we’re most profoundly blessed.