“The Word of God is living and effective” (Heb 4:12)
This biblical phrase still retains all its power today. As time passes, its message does not fade; it remains alive, dynamic, and capable of transforming lives. The Word of God penetrates the depths of the heart, illuminates intentions, builds up, heals, and guides those who open themselves to it. The Word of God is not a static text, but a living force that bears fruit in those who listen to it and put it into practice.
These qualities are present in the readings of this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. All of them contain within themselves a force that does not grow weary, always incisive and challenging.
The three readings converge on the same message: simplicity, humility, and what appears to be “small,” which reaches its fullness in the Beatitudes of the Gospel (Mt 5:1-12). Their content is inexhaustible and continually offers new resonances, providing the light needed for the times we are living.
Happiness has always been a deep longing of the human person. However, the paths to achieve it are often very different. Jesus proposes a very concrete one: He initiates it, walks it, and leaves His footprints upon it. His life is the perfect reflection of the incarnation of the Beatitudes.
In His time they were countercultural, and they remain so today. They did not coincide—and still do not—with the ideals of a society that seeks power, wealth, popularity, or growth at the expense of others.
The Beatitudes are reflected with full intensity in the life and work of Jesus. They are His profile and His project, which He proposes to those who follow Him and wish to continue building His Kingdom.
Each time we encounter this Gospel text, we discover new resonances, because every moment of life is different. They are a constant call to be simpler, more humane and transparent people, hungry for justice and peace, and filled with mercy…
This path, which is directed more toward being than doing, promised by Jesus, leads to true happiness—not only in the future life, but already now—because it is God Himself who desires and wills our good (Jn 11:15).
Sr. Rolindes González OP
Province of Saint Raymond of Peñafort
