30

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time —Year A

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF

甘天霖神父

Gospel: Mt 10:37–42（玛10：37-42）

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew,

Glory to you, O Lord!

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple - amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily: Whoever has a big heart is not content with a small house

Matthew wrote his Gospel in a time of persecution. The disciples have often had the experience that to remain faithful to Christ they had to accept the breaking of ties with the people who mattered most. The rabbis had made the decision to expel the Christians from the synagogues. They had ordered that those who adhered to the Christian faith be considered heretical and disowned by their families. The consequences of this exclusion were severe and painful not only from the emotional point of view but also social and economic.

Jesus demands from the disciple the courage to remain without support, without protection, and without material security for the sake of his Gospel. Then, he continues with another request, even more dramatic: the willingness not only to lose it all but also to give up their lives. The image of the cross refers to the inevitable consequence which goes to meet those who want to live according to the demands of the Gospel: like the Master, they will meet the cross, that is, the hostility of the world. Even if they will not lose life with martyrdom, they must give it in a constant and generous self-sacrifice.

The second part of the passage gives a remarkable promise to those who welcome the preachers of the Gospel: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.” This is not just material hospitality, such as that offered by the woman of Shunem to Elisha but the reception of the message. The rabbis said: “The envoy of a man is like the man himself.” In the disciple’s words resounds the voice of the Master, and through him the Father’s.

It is at this point that the theme introduced by the first reading is resumed. Whoever receives the prophet for the fact of being a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Even a simple gesture of love as to offer a cup of cold water to a disciple, though small, with no appearance, no prestigious titles, will not remain unrewarded.

Not everyone has received from God the same qualities and the same gifts. However, in different ways but with the same generosity, every true believer is called to give their contribution and support for those who dedicate themselves directly to the proclamation of the word of God. Even before the material help, these persons need to hear that their efforts are appreciated by the brothers and sisters in the faith and that their message is assimilated.

This reception is to be revealed in a special way to those who have renounced to having a “home,” to build a family, not to escape or to live isolated and far from the world but to belong to every family, to be fully available to Christ and the brothers and sisters. Does each family consider them members or strangers? How is gratitude manifested towards the work they generously perform?

证道：支持宣讲圣言的人，接纳门徒所传的福音！

玛窦是在教难时期写的福音。门徒们通常具有忠于基督的经验，就是他们不得不接受与一些重要人物断绝连结的事实。拉比们决意从会堂中驱逐基督徒。他们命令：那些信奉基督信仰的人被视为异端，并且要被他们的家人否认。这种排斥的后果是十分严重的，其痛苦不仅有情感观点上，也有社会和经济层面。

耶稣要求门徒在为了祂的福音没有支持、没有保护、没有物质保障时，继续保持勇气。然后，祂继续另一个甚至更加扣人心弦的要求：不仅甘愿失去一切，也愿意放弃自己的生命。十字架的形象指向的是那些想要按照福音的要求生活之人的必然结果：像师傅那样，门徒也将面对十字架，就是世界的敌意。即使他们没有因殉道而失去生命，他们也必须在不断慷慨的自我牺牲中放弃生命。

今日福音的第二段讯息给予那些接待福音宣讲者一个非凡的许诺：“谁接纳你们，就是接纳我；谁接纳我，就是接纳那派遣我来的。”这不仅仅是物质上的款待，例如叔能妇人向厄利亚所提供的，而是接纳宣讲的信息。拉比说：“一个人的使者就如同他自己。”在门徒的话语中回响着师傅的声音，透过师傅传颂着父的旨意。

正是在这一点上，回到了读经一所介绍的主题。谁接纳一位先知，因他是先知，将领受先知的赏报。即使是爱的一个简单举动，像给门徒一杯水喝，尽管微小，没有外场，没有显赫头衔，也不会没有赏报。

每个人从天主那里接受的特性和恩赐都不一样。虽然借着不同的方式，但都一样慷慨；每个真信徒都被召叫捐助和支持那些直接献身宣讲天主圣言的人。实际上，在物质帮助之前，这些虔诚的教友需要听到：他们的努力是被信仰内的兄弟姐妹们所欣赏，并且他们的信息也被吸纳。

这种接纳是以一种特殊的方式，启示给那些放弃拥有“小家”，而去建设一个大家的人；不是逃避，或者与世隔绝，远离世界，而是属于每个家庭，向基督和兄弟姐妹完全有效开放。

文本来源：雅颂福传

翻译：Fr.James