Reflection for June 28, 2020

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16A   |   Psalm 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19   |   Romans 6:3-4, 8-11   |   Matthew 10:37-42

​​​Today is the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings are about receiving God's messenger, welcoming a new life in Christ, making Jesus your priority and doing small acts of kindness.
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Kenneth took his Dobermann puppy to the veterinarian and asked him to cut his tail off completely. “I don’t 

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want anything in the house to suggest that she is welcome."

Generous hospitality will not go unnoticed. God's favor always repays our goodness with even greater abundance. In our first reading, we hear about the itinerant prophet Elisha entering the city of Shunem and how he was welcomed by a hospitable couple, already advanced in years with no children. The woman and her husband extended to Elisha an open invitation to come and stay with them whenever he was in the region. They not only honored the prophet by hospitality in their home but also shared in his mission by providing him with his own quarters. In return, Elisha repays their generosity by promising that the childless couple will no longer be barren but would have a son.

Deejhay, an altar server was praying with Fr. Ramon Liwasan, his parish priest. He said a prayer Fr. Ramon had heard many times before. “Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life.” Just as Deejhay said this Fr. Ramon interrupted, “Kill the spider, Lord.” Many times we ask the Lord to forgive us of some sin, yet we leave the source of temptation in our life.

Those who have welcomed Christ in faith, and have been welcomed by him into the mystery of Baptism are to live in accordance with what they have become in Baptism. In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul teaches that Baptism is death to a former life and the emergence of a new person. Once a person has been freed from an unhappy situation, it makes no sense for him or her to continue in that situation. We cannot be complicit amidst highly dubious and irregular activities. We can not remain silent while fundamental rights are curtailed and eroded. We cannot be passive in the midst of aggressive misinformation and lies. We cannot allow massive graft and corruption especially in the time of COVID-19. We cannot condone selective justice and double standards. If we have been liberated from sin—have died to sin—it makes no sense for us to continue living in sin. We must no longer live as if we have not been baptized. Saint Paul’s words to the Romans invite us to consider if the effects of our Baptism are still being manifested in our day to day activities and concerns.

Catholic missionary to Papua New Guinea, Fr. Joey Castillo, became deeply concerned about the attitude of his seminarian nephew Harold. The young man, a practicing Catholic, had promised to become a missionary like him. But he broke his vow when he was appointed Presidential adviser for flagship programs and projects. Fr. Joey requested prayer for him: “Pray for Harold. He has degenerated into an adviser to the president when he should be serving the King of kings.”

Under normal circumstances, it can be easy to discern the importance of things and issues. However, some situations overwhelm us in a way that we end up confusing our priorities. In our Gospel, Jesus is putting us in a tight corner by asking us to make one of the toughest decisions in life: which are you going to prioritize, your faith in Jesus or family loyalties? Jesus of the Gospel clearly is not attacking family life. He is not teaching his disciples to neglect their families or to divest themselves of family responsibility in the name of discipleship. God is not saying that we cannot love our families. Honoring our parents, our brothers and sisters, and our relatives is ideal, and it is, in fact, commanded by God. Our Lord is simply giving a warning to his disciples of the conflicts and misunderstandings they will experience through their living out his Word. Christian living brings a life of sacrifice, self-denial and daily crosses and nothing must take precedence over fidelity to Jesus—not persecution, not succumbing to fear, and not family ties or family pressure. Among our priorities, God should come first. Everything and everybody else take the backseat.

One day the pig was lamenting to the cow how unpopular she was. “People are always talking about your gentleness and your kind eyes,” said the pig to the cow. “Sure, you give milk and cheese, but I give more. I give bacon, ham, bristles. They even roast my loins with perfect crispy crackling! Still, nobody likes me. Why?” The cow thought a minute and then replied, “Well, maybe it’s because I give while I’m still living, and I give milk which is meant for my child.”

Similarly, Jesus reminds us that whoever receives his followers and the Good News they carry and does even a small act of kindness to them receives himself and God who sent them, and they would not lose their reward of eternal life. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the challenges in our world. Acts of hospitality do not always need to be dramatic or earth-shattering. You don't have to try to end world hunger, find a solution to global warming, or formulate the vaccine to eliminate Coronavirus. Simple caring is all that is needed. Even a cup of cold water given out of love would be enough. Hospitality means being alert for opportunities to care and to demonstrate God's loving-kindness. Saint Teresa of Calcutta hits the nail on the head when she said, "We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” <enrique,ofs>