Gospel
MT 10:34-11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“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.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Reflection
This was a challenging Gospel to read but I don’t believe it is meant to be taken as literally as some might think. When I reflected on this passage it made me think about where our priorities today are. Specifically where does Jesus fall in our priorities?
Furthermore, reading this line reminded me of the order of the 10 commandments….“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”. The first commandment calls us to prioritize our relationship with God, and then we are instructed to honor our parents. I think this reflects the structure Jesus is advocating for in the Gospel, a life ordered with God at the top, and then everything else follows. By placing God first, we align our lives in a way that all other relationships and responsibilities can find their proper place.
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