July 2, 2017

July 2, 2017 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A 2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16; Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10: 37-42 What does it mean to be hospitable? When I looked this up in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, I make an amazing discovery of words surrounding hospitable. HOSPICE - a lodging for travelers or for young persons or the underprivileged; a facility or program for caring for dying persons HOSPITABLE - given to be generous and cordial reception of guests; readily receptive. HOSPITAL - hospice, guest house; an institution where the sick or injured receive medical or surgical care. HOSPITALITY - hospitable treatment, reception, or disposition One of the characteristics of being a Christian is to be a loving person at all times. This is seen in how I treat the people who are in my life today and each day. This is to be extended to all people in the world. Am I doing this? The readings help us to focus on this aspect of Jesus’ command. In the first reading from the second book of Kings, Elijah was about to be taken up to heaven in a 'fiery chariot’ and Elisha asked for a double portion of the spirit that had been given to Elijah. From today’s reading we can see that the Lord did gift Elisha. He traveled to Shunem and was given lodging by a well-off woman and her husband. He was invited to return since they enjoyed being with this ‘holy man of God.’ They decided to give him a furnished room so that he could stay over night when he needed to. Elisha was impressed with their caring and asked his servant for suggestions on how he could reciprocate. This couple had no son and were elderly; so the prophet promised them that, “... this time next year you will be fondling a baby son.” A wonderful story, but it continues. Many years later the son developed a serious ailment and died in his mothers lap. They quickly sought out Elisha who returned and brought the son back to life. What are the messages? How much care has God for us at all moments of our life. Am we responsive? Are we afraid to ask for favors? Do we feel our demands are too insignificant for God? Paul in his letter to the Romans today is describing the Christian life as a life of discipleship. This means that we must follow the way that Jesus laid out for us: the way of love. This is going to involve many hardships and stressful times. It is a life of pain and suffering that leads to our earthly death. Jesus told His disciples: “…and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me…” Our Baptism has changed us. Do we know that? The symbolism of being plunged into the waters of baptism and not being able to breathe and then the baptized comes out gasping for air, shows symbolically that we died to an old way of life: a life of sin that leads to death. Then we rise from the waters of rebirth into a newness of life. This is the life of grace, God’s help to totally give love, which leads to eternal life. So every day of our life we have to ‘die to our selfish ways, our sinful ways’, and rise to the life of Christ which is love and share this. So we take up our difficulties, our pains, our crosses carry them and live with them while being love and bringing God’s love to each person. How exactly do we do this? Matthew shares the hows in today’s gospel. These are the last words of Jesus’s second major discourse and comprises the entire tenth chapter. This has been entitled as the ‘Missionary Discourse.” It contains Jesus’ instructions to His apostles on how they are to spread His words and the difficulties they will encounter. It is a chapter for each of us. Jesus asks if they are willing to ‘take on the job’. Are they willing to make sacrifices to be His follower? Are they going to ‘chicken out’ if it gets difficult? Do they realize that there will be choices that have to be made? There will be times that family and friends, jobs and commitments get in the way. Will this hinder them or make them give up? The same questions are asked each of us? Each one of us by our Baptism are called to be Jesus’ followers. Are we brave enough to be a Christian? Are we strong enough to take up our daily crosses? Can we withstand mockery, disappointment even failure, knowing that we have been called out of love to be love? Jesus says, “…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.” This is a definite reference to embracing cruel and often unjust suffering. Crucifixion was the harshest death penalty Rome inflicted. Matthew clearly believes that God bestows rewards on those who believe in the Gospel message of Jesus and lives it. Jesus is telling us that our kindness will be rewarded. We know that. When we’ve gone out of our way to help someone and it involved a little sacrifice on our part, maybe of our time, or another commitment, we feel good inside. What does it ‘feel like’? We experience a goodness that we helped…one was raised ‘from the dumps’…we felt more alive and got a semblance of what real living is all about. The opposite is also felt when we do not respond… we turn into our self, we care just about me, we have a ‘bad taste’ inside and want to wipe that away. The reality of our life is that we are all one family — the family of humankind. This means that no one is a stranger, no one is a visitor, we are all in God's family. Both the Old and New Testaments constantly promise rewards for our kindness and love. The ultimate promise is that we are all united to Christ and in Christ. We are all called to be generous givers and to be gracious receivers. If we are all one, there is not sin, we live in love and are in love. Isn’t this the description of Heaven? Are we preparing for this Heaven? Or we giving my own description to Heaven coupled with my own entrance qualities? So I reflect on: • How does my Baptism , my belonging to the family of God, affect my other relationships? • When has ‘welcoming someone’ changed my life? • Jesus calls me to love my neighbor…every person in my life and those in the whole world. What must my attitude be to each of these groups? • For the most part I have trouble loving those who I do not know well…what can I do to love these people as Jesus does? • “In the passage that speaks about losing your life for His sake, do you think Jesus is talking about physical death or full compliance with God’s will? Does completely surrendering to God’s will mean you have no free will? Is surrendering to God’s will an act of free choice?” Sacred Space 2017 states: ”Jesus acknowledges virtue in a person who welcomes righteousness. He recognizes support even in people who are not well acquainted with Him yet. I hope to have this generous spirit toward others. We can grasp at life or hold it lightly. Grasping just makes us anxious and greedy; holding life lightly builds up our trust and hope.”