GOSPEL
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.
‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.
‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.
‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.’
(Matthew 10:37–42)
DID YOU KNOW?
Points of interest and Catholic lore
- At the time Matthew’s Gospel was being written, Jewish families were being literally split by those who were making the decision to move away from traditional Jewish beliefs and follow Christ.
- Even though family relationships are vitally important, ‘the first vocation of a Christian is to follow Christ’.
EXPLORING THE WORD
To follow Jesus means putting other important relationships second. It means taking up the cross and perhaps facing the same fate that Jesus met—persecution, suffering, death—but remaining faithful leads to eternal life. In ancient times, a person’s agent was seen to be the person themselves, and here Jesus is giving great dignity to the apostolate of following him by saying it derives from the Father himself through Jesus.
In the Scriptures, a prophet is a person who speaks for God. To be a prophet, one must have a very clear understanding of what God wants, and the task is to transmit that message to the people. There are many instances of the people rejecting the message of the prophets. Some scholars translate ‘holy man’ as ‘just man’ or someone who does the will of God. To recognise and welcome the truth is to be a disciple. The cost of discipleship may be high but the rewards are great.
- Tell stories of biblical characters and what it cost them to respond to God’s will—for example, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Mary the mother of Jesus.
- Discuss modern figures who have paid a high price for their faith, such as St Oscar Romero, Maximillian Kolbe and so on.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
- Share with each other stories about a time when you were made to feel welcome or you offered hospitality to someone else.
- How welcome do you feel in this journey?
- Have some people reacted badly to your decision to approach the Catholic Church?
- What does it mean to lose your life so you can find it?
- This week, make a special effort to be open and welcoming to someone you would not normally associate with. If you are able to, offer hospitality to someone.
- Repeat this often as a mantra this week:
Lord, as you welcome me, may I be open to welcome others.
SHARING THE TRADITION
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
For the first three centuries of the Christian era, to be initiated by baptism into the new, spiritual family of Christ was to risk one’s life. Christianity was a minority religion in a predominantly pagan world. At various stages, persecutions were carried out against Christians. To remain faithful at such times was very difficult, and those who chose Christ were strong indeed. After the Emperor Constantine was converted early in the fourth century, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. People flocked to be converted, not always for the right reasons. Numbers grew rapidly and the Church spread and blossomed. With the gains in number, however, came the possibility of a loss in quality of conviction. Were people really as committed to following Jesus as those earlier, persecuted Christians had been?
The modern western world is a very secularised place, where God has been replaced in some people’s hearts by other gods —the quest for profit, individualism, consumerism. Pope John Paul II referred to these things as a ‘new idolatry’. Numbers of practising Catholics are reducing in many Western countries, and we may become a minority again. Today many Christians face persecution of a different kind.
- Discuss ways in which people of faith are persecuted today in Western society.
- In some areas of the Middle East, persecution of minority Christians is rife and the cause of much suffering.
- Does the media have a role to play in this? In what way?
- What are some challenges you see in your parish or local area?
- The first Sunday of July is named by the Australian Bishop’s as National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday. You could reflect on the burdens and struggle which the Aboriginal people have undergone since settlement and seek ways to further the Reconciliation movement.
SYMBOLS AND IMAGES
In this text, Jesus praises those who offer hospitality, especially to those who proclaim the gospel. Even the simple symbolic gesture of ‘offering a cup of cold water’ speaks volumes about what a person believes in or holds as important. What are the small gestures we make each day that speak to others of the sort of person we are? Jesus also warns that to be a disciple can come at a cost. Taking up the cross and following in Jesus’ footsteps may lead to places we would rather not go.
- Have you experienced your journey as a cross?
LIVING THE WORD
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
- In what ways does your community give public witness to the faith that binds it together? In what ways does your parish interact with and become a part of the local community?
- Using candles and the Book of the Word, form a central focus for prayer. Offer prayers of thanks for all who have overcome persecution for the sake of the Gospel. Using the prayer of exorcism in the RCIA at §94C, pray for strength for those who journey. Conclude with ‘You are near’ (GA 451).