13th Sunday in the ordinary time, Year A
2 Kgs 4:8-12a, 14-17 Rom 6:3-4, 8-11 Mat 10:37-42.
Theme: God Rewards our Generosity
On this thirteenth Sunday of the year, our liturgical readings remind us that generosity and self-giving are wonderful attributes that we need in our lives as children of God. Any good action that we perform has a reward attached to it from God. Interestingly, many people in our world today are more comfortable with receiving, rather than giving. The saying that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” has lost its meaning in recent times. This brings us to a very important question. Do you receive more, or do you give more? Always remember that there is no one who is too poor to have something to share with another.
The above highlighted point is concretized by the woman in our first reading of today. Her generosity towards the prophet Elisha sums the point of our reflection today. She was generous to the prophet without expecting anything from him. But she was blessed by God through the intercession of the prophet Elisha; the gift of a son that she did not have until the visit of the prophet. As Christians and children of God, we have a lot to learn from the action of both the woman and the prophet Elisha. The woman took the initiative to be generous to the prophet, and the prophet also took the initiative to intercede for her to God for something she needed.
Talking about the theme of self-giving, Jesus in the gospel makes it clear, if truly we must be his disciple, then he should be placed higher than any other thing in our lives. This entails denying ourselves and putting God first above all things. There are different things that have taken God’s place in our lives. They take all our time, and we have little or no time for God. Today’s gospel reading presents us the opportunity to reflect along this line. In the gospel also, Jesus also talks about the need for us to carry our crosses and follow him. The cross symbolizes our Christian journey, it is a necessity that we cannot do without; no matter how hard we try. The most important thing is the disposition with which we embrace the cross. Always remember, in the cross is our peace and salvation.
Lastly, Jesus talks about the need for us to support the messengers of God, just like the woman in the first reading. Interestingly, Jesus ends his speech by saying that a reward awaits all those who practice this in their lives. However, we should be generous because it is good and not because we expect a reward; lest we will be disappointed by people. As for God, he is ever faithful to his promises. All these things will be realizable if we embrace the newness of life that St. Paul talks about in the second reading. By virtue of our baptism, we died with Christ and through his resurrection we are raised with him. Thus, embracing the newness of life that will enable us to live our lives like the true children of God that we are called to be. May God grant us the grace to embrace this newness of life, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you!