February 1, 2026: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Reflection

This winter month of February 2026 leads us into Lent. In the Gospel readings for February, Matthew leads us through some of the early days of Jesus’ ministry in which has made himself known “in all of Galilee.”

Great crowds are coming to him from throughout the region. In this fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus is presented as a teacher and it seems many in Galilee are eager to hear what he has to say and learn from him.

In today’s passage, Jesus is fully aware that the people following him must be wondering what he is about. What he is about is more than the repentance that John preached. He is beginning to help them understand what repentance requires of them.

He shares with them the teaching that we now know as the Beatitudes. He is asking his followers to be “poor in spirit,” to have compassion and mourn for others, to recognize the needs of the poor, to be merciful, to be a peacemaker and to stand against the evil of the world.

These are the ways to live in the Kingdom of God. These are also the ways we need to continue to live in today’s world.

Action

As we approached the beginning of Lent this month, perhaps we might consider how we can seek to live these Beatitudes that Jesus is teaching us.