Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Fr. Antoni POU OSB Monk of Montserrat(Montserrat, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, upon listening to Jesus’ words, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” (Mt 10,37), we are puzzled. However, as we delve deeper, we realize the lesson the Lord wants to convey: for Christians, the only absolute is God and His Kingdom. Everyone must discover their vocation – possibly the most delicate task of all – and faithfully follow it. If a Christian man or woman has a marital vocation, they should realize that fulfilling their vocation consists in loving their family as Christ loves the Church.

The vocation to religious life or priesthood asks not to put family ties before those of faith, as long as we do not fail to meet the basic requirements of Christian charity. Family ties cannot enslave and stifle the vocation to which we are called. Behind the word “love” can hide a possessive desire for the other that takes away their freedom to develop their human and Christian life; or the fear of leaving the family nest and facing the demands of life and Jesus’ call to follow him. It is this distortion of love that Jesus asks us to transform into a free and generous love, because, as Saint Augustine says, “Christ has come to transform love.”

Love and hospitality will always be at the core of the Christian life, towards everyone and, above all, towards our family members, because they are usually the closest and also constitute the “neighbor” that Jesus asks us to love. In welcoming others, there is always the welcoming of Christ: “Whoever receives you receives me” (Mt 11,40). Therefore, we must see Christ in those we serve, and also recognize Christ the servant in those who serve us.

Thoughts on Today’s Gospel

• “Through pains and wounds and favors, God forms His children for eternal life” (Saint Gregory the Great)
• “So often in countless ways we are asked to compromise our faith, to water down the radical demands of the Gospel and to conform to the spirit of this age. Yet the martyrs call out to us to put Christ first” (Francis)
• “(…) It is necessary to convince oneself that the primary vocation of the Christian is to follow Jesus (cf. Mt 16,25) (…)” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2.232)