From Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions (Jan/Feb/Mar 2026)

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 + Psalm 146:6-10 + 1 Corinthians 1:23-31 + Matthew 5:1-12a

Best Things First

He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:2-3

Sometimes, the order of a list matters greatly. In baseball, a manager will usually put his most versatile hitter in the lead-off position because he’s most likely to get a hit and start a rally. Just so, when Jesus begins his preaching of the Beatitudes, it’s not by change that he begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

For this phrase is more than just the first Beatitude. It’s the one on which all the others are built, according to Dominican theologian Gustave Gutierrez. The requirements of our discipleship begin with poverty of spirit, he says. That professed spirit demands, above all, that we let go of notions of independence and throw ourselves into the lap of God. To become poor in spirit is to become a child again. It’s a radical understanding of how much God loves us. It’s where we must begin, always.

Lord, give me the poor and trusting heart of a child.

□ Steve Givens