Monday
of the Thirteenth Week in ordinary Time
(Amos
2:6-10.13-16; Matthew 8:18-22)
Characteristic
of Matthew’s gospel, a narrative about Jesus follows a section of his
preaching. In today’s passage, the
narrative gives examples of what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Two
disciples approach Jesus telling of their desire to follow him. In the Sermon he admonished them to enter by
the narrow gate. Now he warns the first
disciple approaching him that following him will not be easy. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,”
he tells him. Also, he advised in the
Sermon to “…seek first the Kingdom of God.” Now he tells the second disciple that
following him takes precedence over everything, even the obligations to one’s
parents.
Jesus does
not want us to neglect our parents nor our children. But he insists that submitting to his ways
supersedes all other considerations. We
are to always put his will above our own.
We do not have to worry that it will lead to our ruin or other’s
detriment. Quite the contrary, we can be
confident that prioritizing his will shall lead to our glory.
