13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A By Tobe Eze

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

FIRST READING
2 Kings 4:8—11, 14—16a

SECOND READING
Romans 6:3—4, 8—11

GOSPEL
Matthew 10:37—42

THEME: SHOW THE CHRISTIAN IDENTITY.

Elisha is a prophet who came after Elijah. Elijah was fighting war against the worship of Baal in Israel, then Elisha was his servant. After the fight and the conquer, Elijah left the work of bringing back the people of Israel back to God for Elisha to do. This was what he was doing when he came to Shunem. The certain woman in Shunem is today showing us the first example of identity of a true Christian.

In the second reading, St. Paul is also reminding us of our identity as Christians. Christ died once to sin and he will not die again we too died for sin through our baptism in Christ Jesus. We should sin no more for we are in Christ Jesus. Those who are in Christ Jesus should be holy for he himself is holy and any unclean thing will not enter the kingdom.

In the Gospel, Jesus is telling us that we should love him above every other thing in this world. During Stations of the Cross, we say this always without even meditating on what we say often. I love thee Jesus above all things! I repent with my whole hearts of having offended thee, never permit me to separate myself from thee again, grant that I may love thee always and then, do with me all thy Wilt. The emphasis is on the first part of it, where we say, we love thee above all things. We always claim that we love God but we hate his creatures especially our fellow human beings. What a contradiction?

Some do not help unless it is where people will blow trumpet for them. Some do not offer in the Church unless their names will be proclaimed like the gospel in the Church. The ideal identity of a good Christian is what Jesus told us in Matthew 6:5-8. Do not allow your right hand to know what your left hand is doing when you give alms or when you do charity work. The woman of Shunem did not tell the whole Israelites that she was doing charity to Elisha. Some, when they give a priest or seminarian or bishop or even any person in the church money or car or anything, they will tell the whole world. If not because of me, this person would not have been driving car now or eating food now or still alive now or all sort of bragging people do.

Jesus is telling us in the gospel that any person who takes care of a prophet, an apostle or good man because of him must surely receive blessings from it. This is only meant for those who do not use that for their own selfish interest. It is meant for selfless sacrifice. Forgetting about yourself and loving Jesus more. If it is your father, mother, sister or brother will take the place of Jesus in your life, try today and place them where they should be and bring Jesus back to his positions in your lives. Love of every other person ends in this world but love of God endures forever. Love of husband and wife, mother and father, son and mother or father, daughter and mother or father, sister and brother all end in this earth and we go alone to the eternal love. Let us today learn from the woman of Shunem to show the perfect Christian identity by using what we have to seek for what we do not have. Using earthly things to search for heavenly things. She used what she had to get a son. Let us forget about umunna anyism, nwannemuism, Onye be anyism. (Tribalism, racism etc.) and stick to the perfect identity of Christianity. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY