I like straight talk. I find it so much easier to address a situation if I know, up front, what the issues are and what we need to do. Today, we hear our Lord offer us some straight talk and we all will do well to listen carefully. Today’s gospel passage is another portion of the instructions Jesus gave his disciples before he sent them off as his apostles. You will recall the difference between a disciple and an apostle. A disciple is one who follows his teacher, carefully observing the discipline the teacher has imparted on him. On the other hand, an apostle is one who is sent out by the teacher – after being carefully instructed – to continue the work of the teacher and spread his message.
After recounting our Lord’s birth, baptism and temptation in the desert, Matthew’s Gospel – the Gospel that is featured this liturgical year – Year A – presents Jesus teaching his disciples with the extensive Sermon on the Mount; we’re all familiar with that. The Gospel then tells of Jesus healing ministry as he cures a leper, the Centurion’s servant and Peter’s mother-in-law, the Gedarene demoniacs, a paralytic, the official’s daughter, the woman with a hemorrhage, two blind men and a mute person. After teaching his disciples and showing them his merciful care for those he encounters, they are now ready to become his apostles, sent out to do his work and spread his message. You will recall that last week, we heard our Lord encourage his disciples, newly commissioned as his apostles, by telling them three times, “do not fear” as he assured them that God has counted every hair on their head. God will protect them as they proclaim the gospel – the good news – that Jesus had taught them by his words and actions.
This week, we hear Jesus tell them – and us – that they must clearly set their priorities as they 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 the source of all love is God. Jesus is not diminishing the importance of loving our families. Rather, he is reminding us of the proper order of love. After all, God is love and we come into being through his love. Our parents shared in this love as they brought us into this world and you have brought your children into the world with that same love. And, all of us are to share God’s love as we prepare each other to go to heaven to enjoy God’s eternal loving embrace. So, love of God precedes love of everyone and everything else.
What Jesus is saying today is that we must clear in our priorities as we respond to him. If we think about it, it makes perfect sense: into whatever we invest ourselves the most, the greatest return we receive from that investment. Therefore, those who invest in their relationship with God will, in Jesus’ words, receive a prophet’s rewards.
In today’s first reading, we hear about the woman from Shunem who showed that kind of love as she sought to serve God by offering hospitality to his servant. Her generosity did not go unnoticed, but rather was rewarded with her deepest wish – a child.
St. 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 well 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 – the commitment made at our baptism – to be faithful to God as God is always faithful to us. 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. That’s real straight talk; I like that, and I hope you do, too!