13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A
GOD ABOVE ALL
MT 10: 37-42
MESSAGE
Some people wonder why the Lord Jesus did not directly claim that he was God; that his nature was divine like the Father. The simple answer is the way God deals with humanity; he respects the level of our understanding. Serious ideas need preparation to be introduced. God’s revelation is gradual and progressive.
But indirectly, Jesus implied his divinity in many ways. One way was through his absolute claim on the hearts and minds of his disciples, a priority accorded to God alone. Thus no one, according to the Gospel, not even the most intimate relationship, can take first place in the life of a disciple. It belongs only to the Lord.
A remarried widower was asked who he loved more, his first or his second wife. His answer was wise and practical. While his first wife was alive, she was his number one, he said. But now that he is remarried, his second wife has his total attention and devotion. Neither wife felt like a mistress, none was second place.
The Lord Jesus’ total claim on our hearts is not sentimental or theoretical. It is absolute and practical as well because it must be manifested in the service given to others, and not in mere prayer and pious acts. The least important person you meet each day must feel your love for Jesus, the love that is the all-encompassing meaning of your life.
REFLECT
Do you love the Lord above all? If so, do you find him in the people you meet each day, at home, work, school or neighborhood? What, if any, is that one thing that serves as obstacle to your total surrender of self to the Lord Jesus Christ?
