Deacon Tom Anthony

 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 97

Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a

One day Elisha came to Shunem,
where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her.
Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
So she said to her husband, “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God.
Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof
and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp,
so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”
Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.
Later Elisha asked, “Can something be done for her?”
His servant Gehazi answered, “Yes!
She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.”
Elisha said, “Call her.”
When the woman had been called and stood at the door,
Elisha promised, “This time next year
you will be fondling a baby son.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever;”
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and the Holy One of Israel, our king.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 Rom 6:3-4, 8-11

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia 1 Pt 2:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation;
announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

 

 

Gospel Mt 10:37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:
“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 a righteous man
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 the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

Proper conduct does have its rewards. This is one of the benefits of living with Jesus Christ and making Him central in our lives. When we do good things then, as a direct result, good things will happen to us spiritually, mentally, and physically. Our spirituality and relationship with Jesus Christ will be enriched. Our wisdom will be increased. Our body will be treated like the temple that it should be. These statements are not being made as an incentive but more as a fact that displays the virtues of the Christian Life and what happens when these things are instituted. There is a transformative experience that happen which changes one’s perspective of everything. This experience has the potential to be so powerful that even obstacles and challenges in our lives can be changed into a positive experience.

 

Even though these things are mentioned as a direct result as our proper conduct the reason for doing them cannot be because of the expectation of being rewarded with this good things. We should not conduct ourselves for the reason of reward but because there is an understanding that it is the right thing to do. If we truly believe that Sacred Scripture is the Word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God then what is said should be listened to attentively and an attempt of adherence should be made out of love and reverence. Those believing this also should be ecstatic with the opportunity to develop a relationship with the one who created them. Whatever stems from this conduct becomes a state of being that is strived for with the hope of achieving it because, as our God has pointed out, it is good to do this and whatever is good produces more good which makes us experience good. The word reward then takes on a different meaning than what society has defined it as previously.

 

The interaction between the Prophet Elisha and a woman of influence in Shunem demonstrates this proper conduct. She welcomed Elisha into her home and actually prepared a permanent room for him whenever he came through the area. She and her husband became benefactors for Elisha and assisted him so that he could concentrate on his prophetic office. There was no expectation of reward. There was no expectation of receiving something in return. It was something that they wanted to do out of proper conduct and what they had learned through the practice of their faith and their relationship with God. It was Elisha who wanted to do something for the woman and her husband in return for their kindness. If he had done nothing there would have been no disappointment because their intentions were pure and they were no seeking anything in return. Elisha, acting in much the same way, sought to give them something out of love and not out of reward, It was a mutual exchange of kindness grounded in a beautiful relationship with God. The words of Jesus Christ are emphasized through these actions:

 

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Putting the words of Sacred Scripture and the Words of God into action causes the relationship between God and us to be expanded outward to other people where it becomes a shared experience. There is a wonderful feeling that becomes present within us when we do these things. That is the presence of the Holy Spirit unrestricted by our own selfish thoughts or motives. That is why doing good and doing the right thing feels so good: it is the presence of God’s Love. We don’t have to want that feeling or seek to have it. It just comes when we are on the right track and are doing the right thing. Doing the right thing allows us to clear away the clutter between us and God that has forced a great divide. God didn’t want it that way. It was us who did it. When we focus on the words of God these things are then removed and it is only us and God. That is our reward but a reward that shouldn’t be expected in return for our actions.
The Apostle Paul speaks of looking at ourselves being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Living for God means listening to God. It also means basing the way we live our lives and our decision-making process on what  God wants us to do and putting it ahead of what we want.. Helping us on the way is Jesus Christ. Living in Christ Jesus means He is in us and we are in Him. As Jesus reminds us,

“Remain in me and I will in you.”

This is outlining a process and serves also as counsel. Staying with Jesus by listening to what He says about relationship as well as our conduct will produce a particular result. We will be with Him and He will be with us. What a beautiful guarantee we receive from Jesus Christ. When we concentrate on our own self-improvement and our own conduct based on what Jesus wants, because He is our God, good things will abound. These good things are just a product of us doing good. In the end, as Christians, do we want to do good and be good?  The obvious answer to that question would be yes. Jesus Christ wants us to do good and be good for our own benefit and for our own salvation. He tells us how to be good and how to be achieve our maximum potential. We have a blueprint ready-made to bring us to our highest potential in our lives. Coming from our God is reason enough to want to follow it.

Deacon Tom Anthony