4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (2023)

Mass Readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

• First Reading – Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13: “They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 146: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!”
• Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31: “Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.”
• Gospel – Matthew 5:1-12A: “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.”

Themes for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year A tell us we must seek the Lord. The first reading gives us a road-map for discipleship. The psalm sings of God’s faithfulness and kindness. The second reading reminds us that the world might consider our path as a foolish one. In the gospel, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, which lay out what it means to follow Him.

Consider if you are actively seeking God or if you are just waiting for something to happen. Here some themes for this week.

• Seeking God
• Recognizing blessings
• The Beatitudes

See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

Printable Beatitudes Puzzle

This printable cryptogram gives the eight beatitudes in random order. Children can figure out the key and substitute the letters to solve the puzzle and complete the beatitudes.

Litany of the Beatitudes

This Litany of the Beatitudes is a prayer which helps us remember the beatitudes. It also asks for our Lord’s grace so we can live these values in our daily lives.

Prayer of Trust in God

This prayer of trust in God is based on Psalm 146, which is the responsorial psalm for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. It speaks of depending on God about all other things.

Blessings and Woes Lesson Plan

This Blessings and Woes lesson plan on the Beatitudes will help youth understand the good and bad things which Jesus warns people about in the Sermon on the Plain from the Gospel of Luke.

Backwards Thinking

Jeff Cavins explains that following Christ means to become more like him. But this is not an easy task. It requires thinking in a new way which is backwards to what the world shows us.

What Does it Mean to Be Blessed?

Fr. Mike Schmitz reminds us, to be holy is not to be perfect. Rather, it is to be blessed by God, and when God blesses something he sets it apart so it may more effectively do his will in this world.

Blessed Are We

From Bishop Robert Barron. As we look into the famous “Beatitudes” described in this weeks Gospel, we learn that the Divine Mercy is the path to true joy. The more we allow the Divine Mercy to flow through us the more it grows in us. Once we eliminate the idolatrous rivals of wealth, pleasure, power, and honor and make Christ the priority in our lives we begin to live like saints.

How to Be Happy

Also from Bishop Barron. In the beatitudes, the Son of God tells us what every one of us, deep down, wants to know: how to be happy. So we must listen with great attentiveness. At the heart of the program is the beatitude: blessed are the merciful. This is because mercy is a participation in the divine life itself. All of the other beatitudes center around and relate to this one.