Genesis 21: 8–21 / Psalm 86:
1–10, 16–17 / Romans 6: 1b–11 / Matthew 10: 24–39
This is the homily given at St. John’s,
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker on Sunday, June 21, 2020.
“MAKE YOUR CHOICE, RANK
YOUR PRIORITIES”
(Homily
text: Matthew 10: 24-39)
Ever think
about what’s most important in your life?
Sometimes
we can figure out the answer to that question by examining how much time we
devote to something. Or – if we can’t come to a conclusion that way, because of
demands of something in our lives that consumes a good bit of time, even if it
isn’t really important to us – then we can approach the question differently,
perhaps by looking at how much thought we give to something.
Today’s
Gospel text puts before us a central question: What’s first in our lives? Or,
more accurately, who’s first in our lives?
Our Lord
puts the choice this way, in statements that are known as “hard sayings”:
“Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me”, and
“Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”.
“Hard
sayings” make us recoil whenever we hear (or read) them. That’s their intent,
to shock us into thinking about something in a different way.
Our Lord is
trying to shock us into an in-depth look at our priorities. Pure and simple,
that’s what He seems to be about.
The early
Christians in the Church that Matthew may have been working with knew the truth
of Jesus’ “hard sayings” quite well. After all, they had to contend with a
pagan society whose values were completely opposed to the way of Christ.
Following Jesus meant, for them, separating themselves from their nuclear
families, in many cases. Acknowledging that they were disciples of Jesus meant,
in many cases, the real possibility of suffering and even death at the hands of
the Roman authorities.
For you and
me, the basic realities that we face are different only in the matter of degree
from the realities those early Christians faced. For those of us who are
citizens of this wonderful country, we don’t have to face the reality of
martyrdom because of our Christian faith. But to follow Christ still means
going against the grain of the culture, a culture that, in our contemporary
society at least, is becoming more and more removed from Christian values.
Going against the grain of the surrounding culture becomes, then, a clearer
choice, even if it isn’t an easier one.
Following
Christ entails a close examination of the importance of our discipleship,
asking ourselves, “What’s first in my life? Is the Lord and my relationship
with Him the most important, most foundational, reality for me?”
May the
Holy Spirit enable our close look at ourselves, and our willingness to set our
priorities in the right order.
AMEN.
