Fourth Sunday Year A

The Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Year A reads as follows:

''Grant us Lord our God,

that we may honour You with all our mind.

and love everyone in truth of heart.''

 

In making this prayer tangible for during the week,  the following reflections questions emerged:

 

1. What does it mean to me to honour God?
2. How do I honour God with all my mind?
3. What steps do I need to take to renew, refresh, revitalize my whole mind?
4. What does the phrase ''in truth of heart'' mean to me?
5. How do I learn to love myself in truth of heart this week?
6. How will I love others in truth of heart this week?

Today's Gospel from Matthew is from Chapter 5 Vs 1-12.

chapter 5:

Verses 1-2: Teaching with Authority and the impact on his listeners

We are told that Jesus went up the hill and taught. High places were important to Jewish people in that it was a representation of ‘God, Heaven, the Creator and such like’.  So Jesus going up the hill to teach is an important phrase.  It is also important when it is compared to Chapter 7:28-29, when we are told that Jesus taught with Authority not like the Scribes and Pharisees. Chapter 8:1 is important because it tells us that not only did Jesus come down the hill, but also great crowds followed.  In other words, his teachings had a great impact on those who listened to Him.

 

 

Then from vs 3-12 we hear what is known as The Beatitudes.  If you look in my Scripture series of Matthew, you will already find I have written on the Beatitudes. 

 

However my suggestion for this week is this.  Why not find a place of height and take your bible with you- go up a hill somewhere.  If you are not able to physically go up a hill, then why not ''Google'' a mountain scene and visualise yourself there.  Read this gospel again slowly and meditatively.
What has great impact for you right now?  All of the Beatitudes are important obviously but which one impacts on you as you read and ponder?  Then as you are guided by the Holy Spirit through your senses, choose one of them and decide on your action plan of how you can live it out this week. Perhaps these setting of the beatitudes   or  the beatitudes may add to your sensory choice.

 

There may occasions during the coming week where the beatitude you have chosen does not seem appropriate.  Is it the way we are thinking about it?  Does it need to be re-framed in our mind to be able to put it into action in this particular circumstance. Perhaps we are called in this situation to apply another of them.  Become familiar and use all of them as this is what we are called to do, but choosing one and applying it in your life this week may indeed be helpful to yourself and to others.  You will be putting the Collect of today's Mass into action.

 

The beatitude is indeed the attitude of the Christian- God's blue print for our attitude.

 

Will YOU embrace God's blueprint this week?