CHOOSING CHRIST ABOVE ALL

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10:37-42

A young man once said, “I love Jesus, but I also don’t want to disappoint my family.” That sentence captures one of the greatest struggles of discipleship: what happens when following Christ demands difficult choices?

Today’s Gospel comes at the end of Jesus’ missionary discourse. Having warned the disciples about persecution and opposition, He now raises the standard even higher: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” These are among the strongest words Jesus ever spoke. He is not condemning family love. After all, He Himself affirmed the commandment to honour father and mother. Rather, He is teaching that every genuine love must find its proper place under the supreme love of God.

This priority of God is beautifully illustrated in the first reading. The Shunammite woman welcomes the prophet Elisha with extraordinary generosity, expecting nothing in return. She recognizes that hospitality offered to God’s servant is hospitality offered to God Himself. Her selfless love becomes the occasion for a miracle: the gift of the son she had long desired. God is never outdone in generosity.

Jesus develops the same principle in the Gospel. “Whoever receives you receives me.” Every act of kindness shown to those who belong to Christ becomes an encounter with Christ Himself. Even “a cup of cold water” offered in love is noticed and rewarded by God. In God’s kingdom, no act of charity is too small.

St. Paul, however, explains why such radical discipleship is even possible. In the second reading, he reminds us that through Baptism we have died and risen with Christ. The Christian life is not merely about following new rules; it is about living a new life. The old self, governed by selfishness and fear, has died. We now belong to Christ. That new identity changes every relationship, every decision, and every priority.

This is the central message of today’s readings: discipleship always involves preference. Every day we choose what matters most. Sometimes the competition is not between good and evil, but between what is good and what is best. Jesus asks not simply for a place in our lives, but for first place.

Today many Christians struggle to put Christ first. Career, comfort, popularity, pleasure, wealth, political loyalty, and even family expectations can quietly become greater priorities than the Gospel. Whenever something occupies the place that belongs to Christ alone, our discipleship becomes compromised.

The challenge before us is simple but demanding: Is Christ truly first in my life? Do my choices reflect that He is Lord? Do I receive others with the generosity of the Shunammite woman? Do I live as one who has already died and risen with Christ?

Dear friend, following Christ is costly, but it is never fruitless. Whoever places Christ above all will never discover that he has lost everything; rather, he will discover that in Christ he has found everything.