It is every parent’s dream.  It goes like this.  Your child is a guest at someone’s home for dinner; maybe it’s a friend or a relative.  When the meal is over, your child is the one who, without being asked, rises from the table, grabs some plates, takes them into the kitchen and puts them either in the sink or in the dishwasher.  What parent doesn’t live with the secret hope that your ten thousand nudges to your kids “pick that up” and “put that in the trash” and “did you forget where the laundry basket lives?” will finally stick?  These reminders are not just about personal hygiene and household cleanliness. They are teaching a new generation of disciples some basic rules of hospitality, about being thoughtful, compassionate, helpful, and loving followers of Jesus.

We all know the importance of hospitality.  We are taught from our youngest years to be gracious and hospitable to everyone we meet.  It is a clear sign of civility.  It is also a clear sign of being a follower of Christ.  The reasons for being hospitable are often different, however.  In polite society, it is seen as an entree into those with influence and to being treated well yourself.  “Do unto others so that they will do unto you,” as the Golden Rule can be rewritten.  For us Christians, however, it is because God loves everyone, the just and the unjust; he lets the rain fall upon the good and the evil, and we are called to be an image of God in the world and to love everyone, even our enemies, Jesus teaches.  Today, we hear another portion of the instructions Jesus gave his disciples before he sent them off as his apostles.  Part of that instruction speaks of being hospitable, even to those who are not ordinarily considered important or even desirable in society; they certainly won’t help raise our status in polite circles.  Notice the three groups Jesus mentions:  prophets, the righteous and children.  True prophets were sometimes respected after they died but were usually disdained while they were alive because they spoke the unvarnished truth about following God and obeying his commandments.  The righteous were very annoying because they lived in a right relationship with God and, in our Lord’s time, children were held in no account.  In those days, you weren’t recognized until you received your bar mitzvah.  Here, we see another example of Jesus turning upside down the world view with his demands of discipleship, calling his followers to be hospitable to those that society would ordinarily disregard or even disdain. 

You will notice that Jesus provides these instructions after he reminds his followers – that includes us today – that no one – not father or mother, son or daughter – can take precedence over our relationship with him.  This is a very stark and clear demand.  Jesus makes it even clearer as he declares, “whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”   

This week, we hear Jesus tell his followers – and that includes us – that we must be “all in” as we begin this work.  Nothing and no one – not even our parents or children – may take precedence.  Today, we hear part of Jesus’ very candid teaching on the importance and demands of discipleship.  Of course, you should love your mother and father, your son and daughter, but remember that your parents brought you into this world and you have brought your children into the world to get to heaven so love of God precedes love of everyone else.  As he sends the apostles out to preach the presence of God’s kingdom, he reminds them that they can expect hardship and a variety of responses.  Not everyone will be willing to change their lives and think beyond this world to prepare for the next.  Yet, they are not to be afraid of whatever might happen, for they will never be without his care and love.  Remember, last week Jesus assured his followers that “even all the hairs of your head are counted,” meaning that God will take care of every last detail for us.

What Jesus is saying today is that we must be “all-in” in our response to him.  If we think about it, it makes perfect sense.  We receive the greatest return from that into which we invest ourselves the most.  Therefore, those who invest in their relationship with God will receive a prophet’s reward.  Like a frame that gives definition, strength, and shape to a building, discipleship gives the same to our lives. But we must choose that frame – God will never impose it.

In today’s first reading, we hear about the woman from Shunem who sought to serve God by offering hospitality to his servant, the prophet Elisha.  Her generosity did not go unnoticed, but rather was rewarded with her deepest wish – a child.  Paul reminds us in today’s second reading that we are each baptized in Christ – called by God just as the woman from Shunem was called by Elisha and the disciples were called by Jesus.  That call emanating from the very heart of God to follow Jesus and to take up our cross is at the heart of our baptismal identity.

Today we are challenged to reflect on how we have accepted this call.  If we are indeed serious about our relationship with Jesus, our divine teacher, then we will be open to allowing it to grow and deepen in our hearts.  Making the choice to follow Jesus, and then living it fully, is difficult and challenging – even Jesus acknowledges this.  But there is a great reward.  When we put God first, when we serve God before all else, we are promised his care and mercy in this life and the unimaginable joy of eternal life with him in heaven.  Let that promise inspire and strengthen our commitment to be faithful to God as God is always faithful to us.  And may the teachings and example of our Lord, as well as the nourishment we receive in the Eucharist, be the frame upon which we build our lives.  Then we, disciples of our Lord, will be ready to become apostles – sent out to continue his work and spread his saving message – the Good News of our salvation.