13-Jul-15

Gospel MT 10:34—11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Reflection:
"..... whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
There is no guile in Jesus Christ. If he were born in the time of the Old West, people would have said of him, "He's a straight shooter."
Today's gospel is not a rant against family life.
Jesus wanted his followers to know what they were getting into before they committed to following him.
Sacrifice is required whenever we decide to follow any worthwhile cause.
Marriage and family require sacrifice. Pursuing a degree of higher learning requires sacrifice.
Many times we find that our goals in life compete for our attention.
History is full of people who have decided to leave their beloved families and go off to war because their conscience dictated they must defend their country.
Civil war in our own country and elsewhere in the world have torn families apart because brother and sister, mother and father have supported opposing causes.
But, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ may demand the ultimate sacrifice.
In today's gospel, Jesus is making certain that his disciples, and we, understand that in choosing to be his follower, we must be prepared to give up everything we love for him.....even our life.

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.” - Ezra Taft Benso