13th Sunday in Ordinary time
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16 2 Rom 6:3-4, 8-11 Matt 10:37-42
In today’s gospel reading Jesus is coming to the end of his special instructions to the twelve disciples. He has already assured them of how precious they are in the eyes of the Father – ‘every hair on your head has been counted’. The final teaching is difficult: “Anyone who does not take up the cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me”. The ‘cross’ that Jesus refers to here is not the Cross of Calvary. That was yet to come for Jesus. Jesus was referring to the everyday suffering of being a disciple, the endurance of building up the Kingdom, the loneliness and humiliation of rejection and the pain of failure. For those to whom Jesus was speaking family life and family ties were as important as they are to us today. When Jesus suggests that anyone who puts father or mother before him is not worthy to be a disciple does he really mean us to denounce our parents? No, as disciples of the Lord we will never have to make such a choice! Perhaps Jesus was thinking back to his own situation when asked by his mother, Mary: ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been ……..’ (Luke 2:48). His response ‘I must be busy with my Father’s affairs’ is whole meaning of his Mission in the World. Part of the ‘Father’s affairs’, of the Father’s will, is the proper honouring of father and mother.
The final part Jesus’ instruction to the disciples is even more daunting; ‘Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me ….. Anyone who welcomes a prophet … Anyone who welcomes a holy person’. As disciples we are called to bear the name of Christ – Christians, we called to bring the Good News – Prophets, we are called to be Holy as our heavenly Father is Holy. Is this not impossible for us? Even if we are deemed worthy how can we measure up to such a high calling?
During the last week we celebrated the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Looking at their response to God’s call and the manner of their living out that call may give us some comfort and direction in our struggle to be true disciples. Peter is the Rock on which Jesus built his Church. What a crumbling Rock! Peter is not all-wise, all-knowing, strong or heroic. He is a very ordinary man who makes about as many mistakes as we do. He walks on water but then panics and starts to sink. He professes his faith in the Lord and then stumbles and is called ‘Satan’ by Jesus. He refuses to be washed by the Lord but then changes his mind when it is explained to him. He betrays his Master three times, even after having been warned about it.
If Peter had been wise and ever faithful and strong we could have told ourselves that the Church is for saints and not desired ever to be a real part of it. But it was Grace that held Peter together. It is Grace that holds the Church together and we are that Church.
Paul, too, was saved by the Grace of God. He began his life as an enemy and persecutor of the Church. He became the greatest proclaimer of the Good News and gave his life for the Church. But he too was an ordinary man conscious of his weaknesses and sufferings, in mind and body, throughout his life. We pray today that the Lord will give us the grace to give ‘even a cup of cold water’ in His name, so that we may ‘not lose our reward’.