[v.4] 2026-February-1, 4th Sunday of Year A, ●● Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 ●● Psalm 146 ●● 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ●● Matthew 5:1-12a ●●
1.
Mended Nets Before Mission
Last
Sunday, in the Gospel and in Saint Paul’s letter, we heard a hopeful image.
Saint Paul urged the community to be of
the same mind. The word he uses suggests repair — like mending
torn garments or fishing nets.
Before
nets can be cast, they must be mended.
Not
long ago, I realized my car needed new tires. I hadn’t changed them in years.
When I brought the car in, the mechanic didn’t even have to bend down. He could
see it immediately: you have
no tread left.
He
told me the only reason I had lasted that long was because the tires were good quality. But even
good tires wear down. And when the tread is gone, you lose traction —
especially when the road gets rough.
Our
lives of faith can be like that.
We may be sincere and strong in many ways. But over time, stress, conflict, and
division thin our spiritual traction.
That’s
why Jesus doesn’t just send us out — He
heals us first.
The
fishermen Jesus calls are not perfect. They will misunderstand, argue, fail,
and even run away.
And yet, by staying close to Christ, they are healed, forgiven, and drawn into
unity.
That
is also true for us.
We do not evangelize because we have everything together.
We evangelize because God heals what is torn — and draws us together.
2.
The Beatitudes Spoken into a Wounded World
This
Sunday, Jesus goes up the mountain and begins the Sermon on the Mount with the
Beatitudes.
These
familiar words are spoken not into a calm society, but into a wounded one.
We
know something about that.
We live in a time of deep division — nationally, locally, even within families.
Many of us have been watching events unfold in Minnesota, especially in
Minneapolis — a city close to our hearts, not least because its archbishop once
served and worshiped here.
The
Beatitudes are not an escape from reality.
They are God’s response
to it.
3.
Three Beatitudes that Mend What Is Torn
Today,
three Beatitudes stand out with particular urgency:
·
Blessed are the merciful.
·
Blessed are the clean of heart.
·
Blessed are the peacemakers.
These
are not abstract ideals.
They are God’s way of
mending what is torn.
4.
Blessed Are the Merciful — Healing Memory
Mercy
is difficult when tensions are high — especially when we feel justified.
Mercy
does not deny that harm was done.
But mercy refuses to let the harm define the future.
Sometimes
we say we have forgiven, yet we keep replaying the injury. Slowly, the wound
becomes part of our identity.
Mercy
breaks that cycle.
Mercy does not delete
our memories; it delivers us from the evil of resentment and recrimination —
and it heals memory.
This
is why mercy is essential for unity. And this is why the Sacrament of
Reconciliation is not simply about guilt — it is about repair. God mends the
net from the inside.
5.
Blessed Are the Clean of Heart — Healing Vision
To
be clean of heart does not mean naïve or uninformed.
It means undivided.
A
divided heart produces a divided world.
When
our hearts are ruled by resentment or constant outrage, we lose clarity. We
stop seeing people as persons and begin seeing them as opponents.
Purity
of heart restores vision.
It allows us to see God at work even where we disagree.
Saint
Paul’s call to be “of the same mind” does not mean uniform opinions — it means
a shared center: Christ.
6.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers — Healing Relationships
Peacemakers
are not peacekeepers.
Peacekeeping avoids conflict. Peacemaking enters tension with truth and love.
This
is especially true in families.
In
marriage, words are sometimes spoken not to wound, but because someone is
overwhelmed.
In parenting, frustration often sounds like anger.
In caregiving, words can come out sideways.
Peacemaking
does not mean pretending the words did not hurt.
It means resisting the urge to return hurt for hurt.
Presence
over accusation.
Patience over escalation.
This
is how unity is preserved — not by winning every argument, but by refusing to
tear the net further.
7.
Peacemaking as Prayer for the World
This
Beatitude also shapes how we pray.
So
today we pray for peace in Minneapolis.
We pray for leaders entrusted with difficult decisions.
We pray for police officers and federal agents who serve at personal risk.
We pray for immigrants and families seeking safety and dignity.
We
ask God to grant peace, justice, and mercy — and the wisdom to build paths that
protect both human dignity and the common good.
This
is not about choosing sides.
It is about choosing the way of Christ.
8.
Sent Forth with Mended Nets
This
is where last Sunday and this Sunday come together.
Before
nets can be cast, they must be mended.
Jesus
does not wait for perfect nets.
He heals them — and then He sends them out.
So
what might this look like this week?
·
Mercy: let one old grievance go unspoken.
·
Purity of heart: fast from one source of
constant outrage.
·
Peacemaking: choose presence instead of
persuasion in one strained relationship.
This
is how the nets are mended — quietly, patiently, thread by thread.
We
do not evangelize because we are whole.
We evangelize because Christ is healing us — together.
Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
