Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 01, 2026

1. The Zephaniah speaks about a “humble and lowly people” who seek the Lord, do command, and take refuge in His name. “The remnant of Israel” is the people. God seeks a little, blind, and poor people in the midst of a world that is proud and violent.

2. Jesus takes on this “remnant spirituality” and fulfills it in the Beatitudes. He goes up the mountain, sits down, and opens His mouth. The divine Teacher presents not a set of pious suggestions but the very charter of His kingdom. The Beatitudes are the portrait of the true disciples and the roadmap to true happiness.

3. Notably, Jesus doesn’t say: “Blessed are the powerful, the successful, the influential.” Rather he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In this case, ‘spirit’ refers to an inner ‘poverty’ or emptiness – an inner detachment from the dominant, the grasping, the self-sufficient, the greedy, and the anchored ‘only’ to God.

4. He says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” Not all mourning is good, but a heart that mourns is a heart that can love. It is good to mourn for one’s sins. It is good to love the suffering and feel their suffering. It is good to be moved against the numbness that this age promotes. It is good to be moved beyond the indifference that promotes the numbness of this age. Tears do not show weakness, but are the seeds of consolation.

5. “Blessed are the meek.” Meekness is not cowardice. Meekness is strength. The meek do not crush. The meek do not retaliate nor do they dominate. The meek respond to the nonviolent, the aggressive, and the vengeful. The meek respond to the pseudopassive. The meek win by their patience, not by their violence. The meek win by their trust and not by their manipulation. To these psyches, God can entrust the Earth.

6. “Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness.” Aside from earthly success, fame, and fleeting pleasures, the disciples’ God-centered desire is for His will, justice, and holiness to be accomplished and restored. This is not a passing fancy, but what gets them out of and motivates them to embark on a journey of spiritual devotion to be achieved. Anything less would be mediocrity.  

7. “Blessed are the merciful.” Mercy is love and care that reaches out, bends over, and comes alongside to heal, forgive, and restore. It is more than sentimental, but actively and concretely, especially to the unworthy. It takes an unforgiving, demanding, and harsh pose, and to do so, they close and shield their hearts from God’s mercy. The harsh, demanding, and unmerciful ways close and shield God’s mercy from encountering and surrounding unforgiveness.  

8. “Blessed are the pure of heart.” Purity is not just sexual in nature; it is unclouded, undivided. No double games, no masks, no hidden agenda. Such a heart can see God. It is free from the plague of selfishness, jealousy, and divisiveness, and no it is \not clouded by selfishness. It is undivided; it is unmasked; it has no hidden agenda. In our inauthentic, opaque culture of dubious motives, and imprecise reasoning, purity is a rare and radiant grace.

9. “Blessed are the Peacemakers” – not just peace-loving, but peace-building. They do not simply steer away from conflict; they repair relationships, reconciliation, and understanding. Peacemakers, however, are usually caught in the misunderstanding of both sides, and pay the price. They are Jesus’s “children,” because they embody the Father who reconciles all in Christ.

10. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” The world, more often than not, rewards compromise and punishes faithfulness. Standing up for truth, justice, and purity, defending the life of the family and the dignity of the poor, can and will bring mockery, ostracization and bring violence towards you. But Jesus says there is a reward for you in heaven, and that reward is great. The loss is a gain.

11. In the second reading from 1 Corinthians, we see a clear reflection of these Beatitudes. Paul begins by mentioning the community as, “Not many of you are wise, powerful, or of noble birth.” However, Paul continues by explaining how God chooses those things which appear foolish, weak, or are of low status in order to bring to shame those who are wise and powerful. The logic of being chosen by God is a function of grace, “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 

12. Therefore, Beatitudes are not some function of moral heroism that we are to accomplish by our own efforts, but rather, Beatitudes are a new gift of God that redefines or reshapes us. God elects the small, the insignificant, the broken, and the lost, and transforms them into living and breathing Beatitudes. All God desires from us is to accept being small in this world and to stop boasting, and “boast in the Lord.” When this is achieved, the “remnant” truly becomes a light to many.

Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 01, 2026

Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 01, 2026