13th Sunday
2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a; Rom 6:3-4; 8-11; Mt 10:37-42
Rewards and Blessings!
You see, materialism and consumerism dominate our lives today, turning our homes into isolated fortresses with iron gates, intruder alarms, and surveillance cameras. Society keeps telling us to value competition, power, influence, success, and instant gratification. But in contrast to all these worldly ideals, the liturgical readings are teaching us something very different—that losing one’s life is actually the path to finding one’s ultimate reward.
Dying to Evil: Now, today’s Gospel brings Jesus’ great “missionary discourse” to a close. Here, He is instructing His twelve apostles about both the cost and the reward of being His disciples. It almost sounds like a modern “cost/benefit” analysis. First, He talks about the kind of behavior expected from His disciples, and then He explains how others will respond to them.
So, what does it mean to be a true disciple? It means being willing to lose one’s life in order to find it—to die to self and to sin so as to live for eternal life. And honestly, modern society is full of corruption and selfishness, but how many of us are really ready to admit that? Talking about sin is easy, but giving it up—that’s the hard part.
Let me illustrate that with a story. This happened in a busy railway station. A well-dressed man rushed to the reservation counter for a ticket. When he saw a long line, he ignored it, pushed his way to the front, and handed over his form and money.
The lady at the counter said, “Sir, there’s a line. Please wait your turn.” But he insisted, “No, no! I’m in a hurry. I need to go now!” She repeated herself, “Sir, please stand in line.” Now irritated, he snapped, “Do you know who I am?” Without missing a beat, she picked up the phone and told her supervisor, “There’s a man here who doesn’t know who he is—can you come help him?” You see, he couldn’t recognize the sin of pride he was committing.
There’s another similar story. A man once went to St. John Vianney and said, “I haven’t come for confession, just to talk things over.” And the priest replied, “I’m not good at discussion, but I am good at consolation.” Inside the confessional, that man encountered God’s grace. He found new strength, and his ego was replaced by love—a new person was born in him. The truth is, the world reflects what we carry inside. We try to fix things outside, but the real problem is within us. We need to cleanse the evil inside so a new self can be formed.
Promised Reward: Now, losing one’s life doesn’t always mean physical death. It can also mean letting go of our old self—changing within and accepting sacrifice for Christ. And when we do that, our reward will never be withheld. Even dying on a cross is not too great a price, because the reward is beyond measure.
In the second part of the Gospel, Jesus assures His disciples that anyone who welcomes them will be blessed. To receive them is to receive Him—and to receive Him is to receive the One who sent Him. Those who support His messengers will be richly rewarded. True hospitality is really about recognizing God’s presence in others, even in those we struggle to like or understand.
We see a beautiful example of this in the first reading. The woman of Shunem recognizes the holiness of the prophet Elisha. She offers him food, respect, and even a room in her home. And in return, Elisha promises her that she will have a son—and God fulfills that promise.
In the same way, we are called as a community to be generous and welcoming. Sometimes, even a small act—a kind word, a smile, or a simple greeting—can make a huge difference in someone’s day.
We truly come alive as Christians when we give ourselves generously. More than just money, what really matters is our time, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, encouragement, and prayer. These simple acts reflect God’s love.
Think about St. John Chrysostom—he spent more time serving the poor than preaching. He founded many charities and hospitals. And St. Bernard of Clairvaux led many people to Christ and established places of care that are still serving others today.
Blessings to the Giver: Finally, we should remember that our situation in life does not limit our reward. We don’t have to be prophets to receive a prophet’s reward—we just need to welcome one. We don’t have to be saints to receive a saint’s reward—we just need to show hospitality. Even the smallest act of kindness done for the least of Christ’s followers will be rewarded.
Just as God knows every hair on our head, He sees every good thing we do. Every act of generosity is a gift to Jesus—and a gift to Jesus is a gift to the Father.
And when we take part in God’s work, even those who support us share in the blessing. Whether we are clergy or laypeople, leaders or workers, anyone who gives or receives in love is blessed. Sometimes it’s not easy to receive, but even that becomes a way for God to bless others through us.
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