Our readings this weekend focus on our call to self-sacrifice: to take up our cross and follow Jesus, ensuring that we love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This seems like a pretty tall order, especially when we hear Jesus say that if we love our parents or children more than we love Jesus, we are not worthy of the Kingdom! How do we reconcile these words with the commandments to honour our parents, and to “love one another as I have loved you”?
I think the answer comes in considering Jesus’ words that “those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” These words remind us that if we focus only on the pleasures of this life, those things will eventually fade, and we will be left separated from God. Conversely, if we do not allow ourselves to be consumed by the things of this world, we will find eternal life in Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is where the importance of self-sacrifice comes in. Self-sacrifice requires us to shift our focus away from ourselves, and to recognize the needs of our neighbour, and to do what we can to address those needs- even if that action is something small. This is why Jesus reminds us that even those who give a cup of cold water to a person will not lose their heavenly reward.
Self-sacrifice means that we give, without expecting anything in return. Certainly, the woman in today’s First Reading was not expecting any form of payment from Elisha, when she built a room for him to stay in at their house during his visits. She recognizes that he is a holy man of God, and wants to do what she can to help him during his many journeys. In the end, her kindness is rewarded when Elisha promises her that she will bear a son. What a beautiful image of the way that God’s blessings are bestowed on the ones who help those in need!
Our rewards for helping others may not be as immediate or as apparent as they were for the woman in the First Reading. Our faith, however, tells us that even if we do not see the fruit of our labours in this life, we will receive the rewards of those labours in the life to come. Throughout this week, I invite you to spend some time in prayer, asking God to show you the ways that he is calling you to self-sacrifice, so that through your life, you can continue the work of building up the Kingdom of God on earth.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Steven Huber, CSB