Blessed in Disaster

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present us with the challenge to proclaim our blessings in service in a time when disaster is dominating the lives of so many.

 “a sanctuary city” that proclaims the Gospel

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/minnesota-arrest-don-lemon-9.7067848

The Reading from the Prophet Zephaniah is a classic description of the day of the Lord.

* [2:1–3] This oracle is a classic description of the day of the Lord as an overwhelming disaster, concluding with a call for repentance and reform. Nation without shame: Judah.

f. [3:12] Is 57:13; Ob 17.

g. [3:13] Mi 4:4. (Zephaniah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 146 proclaims there is no other source of strength except the merciful God.

* [Psalm 146] A hymn of someone who has learned there is no other source of strength except the merciful God. Only God, not mortal human beings (Ps 146:3–4), can help vulnerable and oppressed people (Ps 146:5–9). The first of the five hymns that conclude the Psalter. (Psalms, PSALM 146 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians establishes a contrast between The Corinthians and Paul in the source of our salvation.

* [1:29–31] “Boasting (about oneself)” is a Pauline expression for the radical sin, the claim to autonomy on the part of a creature, the illusion that we live and are saved by our own resources. “Boasting in the Lord” (1 Cor 1:31), on the other hand, is the acknowledgment that we live only from God and for God. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus proclaims Blessings in the Sermon on the Mount.

* [5:1–7:29] The first of the five discourses that are a central part of the structure of this gospel. It is the discourse section of the first book and contains sayings of Jesus derived from Q and from M. The Lucan parallel is in that gospel’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–49), although some of the sayings in Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” have their parallels in other parts of Luke. The careful topical arrangement of the sermon is probably not due only to Matthew’s editing; he seems to have had a structured discourse of Jesus as one of his sources. The form of that source may have been as follows: four beatitudes (Mt 5:3–4, 6, 11–12), a section on the new righteousness with illustrations (Mt 5:17, 20–24, 27–28, 33–48), a section on good works (Mt 6:1–6, 16–18), and three warnings (Mt 7:1–2, 15–21, 24–27).

* [5:1–2] Unlike Luke’s sermon, this is addressed not only to the disciples but to the crowds (see Mt 7:28).

* [5:3–12] The form Blessed are (is) occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in the psalms. Although modified by Matthew, the first, second, fourth, and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels (Mt 5:3 // Lk 6:20; Mt 5:4 // Lk 6:21b; Mt 5:6 // Lk 6:21a; Mt 5:11–12 // Lk 5:22–23). The others were added by the evangelist and are probably his own composition. A few manuscripts, Western and Alexandrian, and many versions and patristic quotations give the second and third beatitudes in inverted order.

* [5:3] The poor in spirit: in the Old Testament, the poor (’anāwîm) are those who are without material possessions and whose confidence is in God (see Is 61:1; Zep 2:3; in the NAB the word is translated lowly and humble, respectively, in those texts). Matthew added in spirit in order either to indicate that only the devout poor were meant or to extend the beatitude to all, of whatever social rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God. The same phrase poor in spirit is found in the Qumran literature (1QM 14:7).

* [5:4] Cf. Is 61:2, “(The Lord has sent me)…to comfort all who mourn.” They will be comforted: here the passive is a “theological passive” equivalent to the active “God will comfort them”; so also in Mt 5:6, 7.

* [5:5] Cf. Ps 37:11, “…the meek shall possess the land.” In the psalm “the land” means the land of Palestine; here it means the kingdom.

* [5:6] For righteousness: a Matthean addition. For the meaning of righteousness here, see note on Mt 3:14–15.

* [5:8] Cf. Ps 24:4. Only one “whose heart is clean” can take part in the temple worship. To be with God in the temple is described in Ps 42:3 as “beholding his face,” but here the promise to the clean of heart is that they will see God not in the temple but in the coming kingdom.

* [5:10] Righteousness here, as usually in Matthew, means conduct in conformity with God’s will.

* [5:12] The prophets who were before you: the disciples of Jesus stand in the line of the persecuted prophets of Israel. Some would see the expression as indicating also that Matthew considered all Christian disciples as prophets. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, comments that Jesus is offering His artistic plan to His early disciples and opens with “poor in spirit”. What does this mean?

I hope it doesn’t mean my letting go of everything and everyone. No! I want to relax in my having, by my own efforts and creativity, to protect who I am by what I have!

What I am arriving at is what I call “The Sad-attitudes”. I want to be the “Grabber,” not the spiritually poor receiver. “Mine!” is my human prayer. What Jesus’ invitation is to receive His prayer of comfort as I mourn, because I loved and received what she/he was and could not be for me.

I want to be merciful when the other apologizes first and with deep sincerity.

I enjoy and am happy when my heart and spirit are “clean” unless there is someone or something more attractive and inviting.

Thank You, God, Divine Artist, that you reverence my defenses, fences, walls. I know I am resolving slowly through Your artistic insistence and love. Jesus knew the ways of His early followers, and He kept faithful to their being created to be artworks of His relationship. (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Perfect blessedness is humility of spirit,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' The Lord taught by way of example that the glory of human ambition must be left behind when he said, 'The Lord your God shall you adore and him only shall you serve' (Matthew 4:10). And when he announced through the prophets that he would choose a people humble and in awe of his words [Isaiah 66:2], he introduced the perfect Beatitude as humility of spirit. Therefore he defines those who are inspired as people aware that they are in possession of the heavenly kingdom... Nothing belongs to anyone as being properly one's own, but all have the same things by the gift of a single parent. They have been given the first things needed to come into life and have been supplied with the means to use them." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 4.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 comments that Paul rebukes them for their rivalries and reminds them that wisdom, power, and worldly recognition count for nothing before the Lord. Quite the opposite: God delights in choosing “the lowly” (1 Corinthians 1:28).

Jesus tells his disciples something similar in the Gospel for today: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). This probably surprises them, because self-confidence, prestige, and wealth are typically considered signs of God’s blessing. But Jesus turns them upside down. Humility is the path to blessing. That’s because when we are poor in spirit, we recognize that God is the source of all that we have and are. Everything is a gift from him. So when we come before the Lord empty-handed, we can allow him to fill us with his gifts, his wisdom, and his grace.

Why did Jesus preach this beatitude? One reason is that it keeps us humble. No matter how gifted we may be, we can’t boast about our accomplishments or think of ourselves as superior to anyone else because of them. There is no pecking order with God!

Second, when we are poor in spirit, we are blessed! Our hearts are more free and more open to God. We trust in him to fulfill our needs rather than trying to prove ourselves or rely on our own resources. We are at peace with who we are and the way God made us. And our lives are more fruitful because we are “lowly” enough to ask him to guide us and to bless our efforts.

Today at Mass, come before the Lord poor in spirit and knowing that you are loved by God. Open your heart to him and allow him to fill you!

“Thank you, Lord, for choosing me and blessing me today!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Zephaniah justice, humility, and seeking about the Lord are what God wants in a remnant faithful to God. Paul notes not many are perfect but are broken and not rich. Paul preaches the “cross” as the Wisdom of God. Some in Corinth feel God is totally spiritual and they have a special connection. Everything is from God who gives because of need. In the Gospel, Jesus is presented as a New Moses. Jesus comes out of Egypt and the new law is a call to be virtuous, poor in spirit, meek and peacemakers. This is a goal that people will find difficult. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus expresses the more traditional blessings and curses whereas in Matthew there are eight blessings. Luke is thought to be closer to the actual style and Matthew is more spiritual. Poor in spirit and mourning are connections to other people. In Matthew righteousness is redefined as compassion. The sheep are righteous because of being peacemakers as children of God and blessing is in persecution, suffering for the right things and for the Kingdom. Friar Jude comments that Jesus shares His cross with us.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, points to the economic emphasis present in the prayer of Jesus. In the Old English of the King James Bible, the word “debts” was rendered as “trespasses.” It seems unchangeable now because we’ve said it for so long, but without doubt, the word in the original text is clearly an economic word. The power of this petition lies in the Jubilee year, described in Leviticus 25.

In ancient Israel, in the fiftieth year, everything went back to its original owner. Ideally, all debts were forgiven. It was the great equalizer, a sign of the largess and magnanimity of God. This is the teaching Jesus is drawing upon when he quotes from Isaiah in his inaugural address and throughout his ministry (Luke 4:18–19, 21).

If people had lived by the law of Jubilee, communism would never have been necessary, and capitalism would have never been possible. The spirit behind this jubilee thinking lasted for the first 1,000 years of Christianity, when one could be excommunicated for taking an interest on a loan. (They called it the sin of usury.) The prayer of petition Jesus teaches still raises questions about economics: How does the burden of debt—the personal debt people carry in our consumer society, the national debt carried, particularly by Global South countries—keep people imprisoned in their own history? (Rohr, n.d.)

Reference:

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Jesus’ Alternative Plan: The Sermon on the Mount, 2nd ed. (Franciscan Media, 2022), 178–179.

We need the consolation of the Spirit as we try to understand the suffering of people in Minneapolis, “a sanctuary city” that proclaims the Gospel in action that demonstrates Jesus “Sermon on the Mount”

References

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-1-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?1 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/31/1491045/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1?26 

Psalms, PSALM 146 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/146?6 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-forgiveness-of-debts/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Rejoice and Be Glad, for Your Reward Is Great in Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zephaniah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zephaniah/2?3 

Judgement and Justice

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the apprehension we experience in our society today about the waning importance of justice in decisions made by authorities to act against those who are not for them.

Work for Justice

The Reading from the Prophet Joel urges Jerusalem to proclaim a fast as the Day approaches.

* [1:13] Judah’s situation is so grave and the day of the Lord so imminent that priests must lament day and night if they hope to reverse the divine punishment.

* [1:15] As in Am 5:18–20, the day of the Lord in Joel’s first speech brings punishment, not victory, for Judah. In his second speech, this event means victory for those faithful to the Lord and death for the nations who are the Lord’s enemies. Almighty: Hebrew shaddai. There is wordplay between shod (“destruction”) and shaddai. (Joel, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

* [2:1–11] Joel warns the people about the destruction he sees galloping toward Jerusalem. He combines the imagery of the locust invasion (chap. 1) with language from the holy war tradition in order to describe the Lord leading a heavenly army against the enemy, in this case, Jerusalem.

* [2:2] Like dawn: from the east comes dark destruction rather than a new day’s light. (Joel, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

Psalm 9 states loosely connected themes including rescue from enemies.

* [Psalms 9–10] Ps 9 and Ps 10 in the Hebrew text have been transmitted as separate poems but they actually form a single acrostic poem and are so transmitted in the Greek and Latin tradition. Each verse of the two Psalms begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (though several letters have no corresponding stanza). The Psalm states loosely connected themes: the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies, God’s worldwide judgment and rule over the nations, the psalmist’s own concern for rescue (Ps 9:14–15). (Psalms, PSALM 9, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke describes Jesus and Beelzebul and the Return of the Unclean Spirit.

* [11:19] Your own people: the Greek reads “your sons.” Other Jewish exorcists (see Acts 19:13–20), who recognize that the power of God is active in the exorcism, would themselves convict the accusers of Jesus. See also note on Mt 12:27.

* [11:22] One stronger: i.e., Jesus. Cf. Lk 3:16 where John the Baptist identifies Jesus as “mightier than I.” (Luke, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Laura Roost reminds us of the visual from the 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar film, where Judas scatters the nearby sheep while running away from the last supper to betray Jesus. Before he runs off, though, he says something… “Every time I look at you, I don’t understand how you let the things you did get so out of hand. You’d have managed better if you’d had a plan”

While reflecting on this reading, I realize it is both as easy and as challenging as recognizing gathering and scattering, and discerning whether we are responding to God in love, or to our own plans or perspectives. We rarely see ourselves as the scatterer but rather the person building something. Reflecting on today’s question has left me to ask myself: when am I really discerning God’s gathering call? When am I really listening, watching, and discerning? Most importantly, when am I allowing myself to be gathered by God and to gather with God, instead of trying to gather God? (Roost, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus has conquered Satan,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"[Jesus] has conquered the ruler of this world. Having, so to speak, hamstrung him and stripped him of the power he possessed, he has given him over for a prey to his followers. He says, 'The strong man, being armed, guards his house; all his goods are in peace. But when one who is stronger than he shall come on him and overcome him, he takes away all his armor wherein he trusted and divides his spoil.' This is a plain demonstration and type of the matter depicted after the manner of human affairs... Before the coming of the Savior, he was in great power, driving and shutting up in his own stall flocks that were not his own but belonging to God over all. He was like some voracious and most insolent robber. Since the Word of God who is above all, the Giver of all might and Lord of powers attacked him, having become man, all his goods have been plundered and his spoil divided. Those of old who had been ensnared by him into ungodliness and error have been called by the holy apostles to the acknowledgment of the truth and been brought near to God the Father by faith in his Son."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 81) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2 comments that the damage caused by sin is still plain to see, both in the world and within our own hearts. But it doesn’t have to remain. In his mercy, Jesus continues to offer forgiveness and healing to everyone who turns to him. He continues to offer the fruit of his Spirit: love and joy and peace, flowing more abundantly than the grain, the wine, and the oil that Joel promised.

Even now, today and every day, Jesus is reaching out his hand to save us. Even now, today and every day, he calls us to turn back to him. Let’s grasp his hand and welcome his mercy.

“Jesus, thank you for rescuing me from the power of sin!” (Meditation on Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the reading from Joel calls for penitential actions as disaster is approaching.  Joel declares any sinner who opposed God would be punished. The apocalyptic ending of the world from these texts is frequently cited today. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of using Beelzebul to drive out demons. Driving out demons by demonic force does not make sense. Anyone not with us is against us is the opposite of what is in other texts. Friar Jude suggests that this is because the truth is in the middle and we are advised to clean up our act or there will be danger in the future. Confession is the opportunity to sincerely promise to avoid bad acts in the future.

Fr. Mike Schmitz clarifies the meaning behind Mattathias' zealous attack against the Greeks and his fellow Jews who were not obeying God's laws. From our reading of Sirach, Fr. Mike reminds us to remember the needs of the poor, and to be careful when forming friendships. Today's readings are 1 Maccabees 2, Sirach 4-6, and Proverbs 22:1-4.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Randy and Edith Woodley who co-founded the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm and Seeds. They explore Indigenous values in relation to materialism and life balance.

“More was everything”: what an apt description of the culture that surrounds us. And “sufficient was enough” gives us a window into Indigenous perspectives on consumption. The Cherokee concept of redistribution of wealth was at direct odds with the individualism of settlers. Until the nineteenth century, the Cherokees were able to retain their communal values. Remember: this was even after removal from their homelands. For a people to hold on to cultural values during times of extreme oppression, including forced relocation, is remarkable. 

 

After touring Indian Territory in 1887, Senator Henry Dawes described the Cherokees in this way:  

The head chief told us that there was not a family in the whole nation that had not a home of its own. There is not a pauper in that nation, and the nation does not owe a dollar. It built its own capitol … and built its schools and hospitals. Yet the defect of the system was apparent. They have got as far as they can go, because they hold their land in common…. There is no selfishness, which is at the bottom of civilization. Till these people will consent to give up their lands, and divide them among their citizens so that each can own the land he cultivates, they will not make much progress. [2] 

“Progress,” according to Senator Dawes, meant individualism, materialism, and even selfishness. None of these ideals are Cherokee values, nor do they represent the values of other Native Americans…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit as we wrestle with the contradiction of driving out evil by an evil source, a plan that many have accepted in our society, even as we seem to have allowed the Judgement and Justice of God to be overruled.

References

Joel, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/joel/1?13 

Joel, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/joel/2 

Luke, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?15 

Meditation on Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/10/10/1404584/ 

Psalms, PSALM 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/9?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Work Hard, Rest Well. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/work-hard-rest-well/ 

Roost, L. (2025, October 10). Daily Reflection October 10, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-10-2025 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If It Is by the Finger of God. Daily Scripture Net. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/