BLESSED THE UNLIKELY

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12

A friend once told me how shocked he was when his company promoted the quietest person in the office - no loud confidence, no aggressive self-promotion. When he asked why, the director replied, “Because he listens, he learns, and he carries others along.” That decision puzzled many, but it reveals a truth we often forget: the world’s logic of greatness is not always God’s logic. This is the lesson we find in today’s readings.

The First Reading from Zephaniah speaks to a wounded people. Israel has failed, the powerful have corrupted justice, and the nation stands under judgment. Yet, God does not abandon them. Instead, He promises a remnant: “a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord.” God does not begin again with the strong, the loud, or the triumphant. He begins with the humble. Salvation history moves forward not by dominance, but by dependence on God.

Saint Paul deepens this logic in the Second Reading. He reminds the Corinthians and us - to look honestly at ourselves: “Not many of you were wise… not many powerful… not many of noble birth.” This is not an insult; it is a revelation. God deliberately chooses what the world overlooks so that no one may boast except in the Lord. Grace is not a reward for human excellence; it is a gift that reveals God’s power precisely through weakness. In Christ, wisdom is no longer cleverness, strength is no longer control, and success is no longer self-glory.

All of this prepares us for the Gospel: the Beatitudes. Matthew places Jesus on a mountain, echoing Moses at Sinai. But instead of commandments carved in stone, Jesus proclaims blessings written into the human heart. Notice carefully: Jesus does not say try to be poor, force yourself to mourn, or pretend to be meek. He says, “Blessed are you.” Why? Because in these conditions, the heart is open to God.

“Poor in spirit” is not about material poverty alone; it is about recognizing our radical need for God. Those who mourn are not blessed because suffering is good, but because suffering can open us to divine consolation. The meek are not weak; they are strong without violence, confident without arrogance. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to desire God’s will more than personal comfort.

What Jesus is doing is revolutionary: He redefines happiness. Blessedness is no longer tied to power, applause, or control, but to relationship - with God and with others. The Beatitudes are not a moral checklist; they are a portrait of Christ Himself. Jesus is the poor one who trusts the Father completely, the meek one who refuses domination, the merciful one who gives Himself away.

And here is the quiet challenge: the Church is most faithful to Christ not when she imitates the world’s strength, but when she reflects the humility of her Lord. Likewise, our Christian life matures not when we appear successful, but when we learn to rely more deeply on God.

Dear friend, in a world obsessed with visibility and victory, today’s readings whisper a dangerous truth: God’s kingdom belongs to the humble. And in that humility, we discover a blessing no one can take away.