29 January 2023 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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.
From Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13 NRSV

The prophet Zephaniah offers a new vision to the people of Israel. They no longer needed to believe that only those who were prosperous were blessed by God or that the poor must in some way have been to blame for their plight. Zephaniah turns this previous thinking on its head and assures this powerless and downtrodden people that it is the humble who will receive God’s blessing. For a people who were dominated by powerful nations, this promise would have been most welcome. Their very powerlessness in wordly terms meant that they had to rely entirely on their Lord – a Lord who wants them to be at peace and free from fear.

• • What difference do you suppose Zephaniah’s prophecy meant to those who first heard it?
  • Who are the Lord’s “humble and lowly” people today?

Pray today for all who feel powerless or forgotten, that they will find peace, safety and belonging.