01 Feb 2026 – 4th Sunday, (A) – Feast of St Brigid

01 Feb 2026 – 4th Sunday, (A) – Feast of St Brigid

St Brigid: Born in at Faughart, near Dundalk, County Louth, in the middle of the 5th century, probably in the latter years of Saint Patrick’s ministry in Ireland, Brigid refused several offers of marriage, in order to become a nun in the service of Christ and his church. With seven other young women she settled for a time at the foot of Croghan Hill, but moved then to the plains of the Liffey Valley, where under a large oak tree she erected her famous convent of Cill-Dara, that is, “the church of the oak” (now Kildare). She died there half a century later, on the first of February, 525. The most ancient life of St Brigid is by Broccan, (d. 650). Then the “Second Life” was composed in the 8th century by Cogitosus, a monk of Kildare. An interesting feature of this work is his description of the Cathedral of Kildare, whose Round Tower may date back to the sixth or seventh century.

Brigid’s strong personality and example ensured that her community served their neighbours, through various acts of mercy. Soon her small oratory at Cill-Dara (the chapel-at-the-oak) became a centre of religion and learning, and later developed into a small city. She founded two monastic institutions, one for men, and the other for women, and apparently held jurisdiction over both of them. According to her biographer, she chose St Conleth “to govern the church along with herself.” For centuries, Kildare was ruled by a double line of abbot-bishops and abbesses, the abbess of Kildare being the leader of all the convents in Ireland.

During the raids by the Norsemen in the 9th century, Brigid’s relics were taken for safety to Downpatrick, where they were interred in the tomb of St Patrick and St Columcille, and since 1190 they rest in Downpatrick Cathedral. The three, Patrick, Brigid and Columcille, have for centuries been regarded as the three main patron saints of Ireland.

Even after 1500 years, the iconic Brigid, known as Mary of the Gael, is very dear to Irish hearts, and Brigid, Breege or “Bridie” preponderates as a female Christian name. Hundreds of place-names in her honour are to be found all over the country, e.g. Kilbride, Brideswell, Tubberbride, Templebride, etc. While her main monument is in Kildare town, she is also keenly remembered in her birthplace at Faughart, in County Louth. The old St Brigid’s well adjoining the ruined church there dates from antiquity and still attracts pilgrims today.

(1) Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13

For I will leave among you a people humble and lowly

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord’s wrath.

For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord – the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.

Responsorial: Psalm 145:7-10

R./: Happy the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs

It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free. (R./)

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan. (R./)

It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age. (R./)

(2) 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong

For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.”

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

The spirit of the Kingdom: the Beatitudes

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Soul-searching

If hearing the Beatitudes from St Matthew’s Gospel cause us to feel a little uneasy, they are probably meant to do so. They are like a spiritual tonic, to help us probe and clear our conscience. If taken quite literally they seem to be too idealistic, too unworldly for us. But Jesus meant them as words of life, to bring out the best in us. They make no strictly enforceable demands, they are not a set of laws, they are not meant to lay a burden of guilt on our shoulders. What they do is describe in eight striking sentences of the marvellous freedom we can enjoy, if we are not too tied to ownership. Jesus speaks from experience, because he himself lived the Beatitudes fully.

Although laid down as commandments, they are revolutionary ideals, going well beyond the beatitudes found in the Old Testament Wisdom books. The Wisdom writers describe as happy the man who has a good wife, docile and obedient children, faithful friends, and prosperity in all his undertakings. But according to Jesus, the happy and blessed are not those who are currently enjoying wealth and success, but rather the poor, the hungry, the mourners, the despised and persecuted. Naturally we wonder just what he meant by the “poor in spirit.” Was it people in material poverty, or rich people who were not overly attached to their money, or spiritual-minded people who for whom God meant everything? In practice the majority of the population of the Graeco-Roman world in those times were in material poverty.

Certainly the “poor in spirit” must include people in humble circumstances who made do without complaint. Their lives were in shapr contrast to the arrogant spirit of the upper-class minority who owned most of the wealth and controlled the lives of others. Long before Christ the Psalmist wrote, “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all his distress” (Ps 34:6) . The poor could not rely on wealth for their security, so they relied on God, who alone was their hope and strength. Jesus did not praise material poverty but taught that a humble disposition draws us near to God.

Paradoxically, He did not agitate for social reform, or call for a coup d’etat. Later he says, “Lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven” (Mt 6:19+) . He utterly refused to be a part of any violent rebellion but was called the friend of publicans or tax collectors. Despite his miraculous feeding of the multitudes, His concern seems never to have focussed on agitation for economic reform.

It was on people themselves, the human person in relation to God, that he focused his mission. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these other things will be given you as well” (Mt 6:33) . Certainly his sympathy went out to the humble, the toilers and heavily laden. He blessed those who have only God to turn to, the powerless, those who mourn, those who are persecuted. All these will be comforted. They will have mercy shown them. Theirs will be the kingdom of heaven. To them the love of God will reveal the meaning of life. They will be called children of God and shall see God face to face.

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Happy Attitudes

If you visit Galilee in the Springtime, you’ll see how beautiful it is; including the places where Jesus taught the crowds. One sunny morning on the hill of the beatitudes overlooking the lake, with the hill ablaze with flowers, it dawned on me what an eye Jesus had for the beauty of nature. The depth of his words on than occasion was matched by the beauty of his surroundings. What he said there was radical and paradoxical. How his listeners reacted to his words then is hard to say. What is our reaction to them today? Imagine a father or mother giving the beatitudes as advice to their teenage son or daughter as they set out to make their way in the world. Would we advise them to be detached from property, to be gentle, not competitive, to risk all on behalf of human rights and saving the environment?

How often we imply if we do not say to our children: “It’s not what you know but who you know that counts.” Whatever gentleness may achieve, it won’t help you climb the ladder of success. To succeed in business you must be pushy and aggressive and possibly ruthless as well. The attitudes Jesus calls blessed are the opposite to fierce competition. As St Paul says: “It was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones God has chosen.”

Those who lament the fewness of “practising Catholics” may have reduced this notion to attendance at Sunday Mass. There is no mention of that in the beatitudes. Jesus simply listed some qualities needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. These “happy attitudes” are the charter of the kingdom. They are ideals that are well-nigh unattainable. They are values to aim at, meant to help us moderate our lifestyles. History produces some people who incarnate these beatitudes, like a Francis of Assisi or a Mother Teresa, or some specially dedicated individuals that we may be priveleged to know. As St Paul says, God has made us members of Christ, “who is our wisdom, our virtue, our holiness and our freedom.”

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A condensed Gospel

The beatitudes offer a summary of Jesus’ teaching. They are the condensed gospel and need some teasing out to apply them to life. We are aware of political manifestos, statements of what a party stands for, what they intend to achieve if you elect them. This gospel is Jesus’ manifesto. It is a manifesto that he promises will bring us near to God.

People who are detached and show gentlesness to others, are blessed. Even if they are rich, their money does not make them boastful or proud. Grief is the price we must eventually pay for having loved. If you are determined never to cry at a funeral, don’t ever love anyone. The meek and the gentle are the most resilient of people. Good people deeply respect justice and fair play, and try to win them for others. As you treat others, so you will be treated. If we want to receive mercy and compassion, we must show mercy to others. A pure heart is not devious, deceitful, selfish or cunning. Jesus did not say we should be passive. Rather he urges us to build bridges of peace with others.

Jesus warns those who follow him will be treated as he was. There is a cost in Pentecost, and following him means sharing his cross. Right from the beginning when Simeon saw him in the temple, he said that Jesus would be a sign of contradiction. Everything he said and did was a challenge to this world’s values. Those with power, prestige, and control felt undermined by his message. The religious leaders who were the arbiters of right and wrong, were so threatened by him that they planned his death.

There is a cleansing power in the beatitudes. They are about letting go of things that are not life-giving, and about becoming truly free. They offer guidelines for living, for inner peace and happiness. Formal religion can be too tied to rules and regulations and be authoritarian. Spirituality is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is about letting go, so as to be free in God’s sight.