THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
27 JUNE 2026
During
these past few Sundays, we have been hearing from Saint Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus has chosen twelve of his disciples and
sends them out to bring the Good News of the kingdom of God first to their
fellow Jews, and then eventually to the entire world. In sending them out, he tells them that they
will receive grateful welcome and lots of rejection. Preaching a gospel of repentance will not
always be perceived as a welcoming Gospel.
In the ancient world, blood relationships are key to understanding a
person’s identity. But Jesus includes
them as members of his family, more important than their membership in their
blood families.
Today, he
tells them that whoever welcomes them will welcome him. Whoever welcomes them welcomes the Father,
the One who sent him. The twelve are not
messengers carrying information. They
are bearers of divine presence. That is
remarkable for an ordinary group of fishermen, tax collectors, and
zealots. The mission is never about the
messenger, but about the One the messenger embodies. He then promises that whoever welcomes a
prophet, a person who speaks the truth, will receive a prophet’s reward, just
as Elisha received welcome and hospitality from the couple in the first
reading. He also says that whoever gives
a cup of cold water to one of his disciples will surely receive a reward. At the time of Jesus, giving a cup of cold
water involves a lot of work: going to
the well, drawing the water in a heavy jar, and then serving it immediately to
a guest. In a world of rejection and
persecution, Jesus emphasizes these rewards of hospitality and kindness to his
new family on mission.
You and I
became part of the family of Jesus Christ when we passed through the waters of
Baptism. That is what Saint Paul talks
about in his letter to the Romans.
Ancient baptismal fonts (and many fonts in modern churches) allow for
baptism by immersion. The person is
buried in the waters of baptism, just as Christ was buried in the tomb. Then that person emerges from the waters to
be one with Christ, as Christ was raised from the dead. Every time we live our baptismal promises, we
share a little bit more in the dying and rising of Christ. Ironically, putting Christ ahead of our
human family invites us to a deeper relationship within our own human families,
especially if there are tensions and difficulties.
The Lord gives us a chance today as
his family to reflect on our mission of proclaiming the kingdom of heaven in
our world. First, we know that being a
follower of Jesus Christ is not always easy.
We live in a secular culture that is hostile to the sacred and
spiritual. Our world is a mess these
days. Our culture prefers division and
judgment over reconciliation and acceptance.
If we live the love of Jesus Christ, we will experience some kind of
rejection, even within our own blood families.
Second, rejection is not the whole story. We know that we are careful to welcome
visitors and those who join us for the first time at Saint Augustine. We will also be welcomed by some as we live
our baptismal promises as members of Christ’s family. Third, we carry Christ’s presence into the
world. We do not need to perform
dramatic actions. We carry Christ’s
presence when we feed the hungry through our soup kitchen or when Vincentians bring
food to hungry families. When we knock
on a neighbor’s door or visit the sick, we bear Christ’s presence with us. Every time we speak a kind or forgiving word,
we are carrying Christ’s presence.
Fourth, we don’t need to preach like prophets. We bear Christ’s presence in the small acts
of kindness. Finally, we regard hospitality
as a mission. Saint John Chrysostom once
wrote: “If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will
not find him in the chalice.” The Lord
sends us out on mission, and we eagerly look for little ways to be hospitable
and gracious. We are members of his family,
the Body of Christ.
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