June 28, 2026

13^thSunday in Ordinary Time  (A)               

Let’s Love our Family Deeply, but God Supremely

Msgr Thomas Gervasio 

Someone once said that commitment can be illustrated by a breakfast of ham and eggs—the hen donated, but the pig was totally committed.
 
Today our Lord speaks to us in very strong terms about commitment. They sound even harsh: “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.” In St. Luke’s Gospel, Our Lord’s words are even more disconcerting: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father, and mother, wife, and children, brothers and sister, and yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
 
What can Our Lord mean? Our Lord here speaks by hyperbole, by exaggeration, as he often did to make a point. This is not a command to despise but to prioritize…and our priority, the commitment the Lord expects of us, is to give God the first place in our life. This can be a challenge because our relationship with God ends up so often being juggled with so many other interests. So many things can supersede, overtake, our devotion to the Lord. Nevertheless, Christ jealously wants our commitment and what we often give him is a casual “off and on” relationship as we focus on other concerns.
 
If God is to be given first place, what about the love we owe our parents, our family members and our neighbor? The Lord does not deny that we have commitments to them.  
 
Fr. Henri Nouwen offers us some help in answering this question:
 
“The first commandment requiring us to love God with our whole heart, all our soul, and all our mind is indeed the first. I wonder if we really believe this. It seems that in fact we live as if we give as much of our heart, soul, and mind as possible to our fellow human beings, while trying hard not to forget about God. At least we feel that our attention should be divided evenly between God and our neighbor.  
 
But Jesus’ claim is much more radical. He asks for a single-minded commitment to God and God alone…It is this unconditional and unreserved love for God that leads us to care for our neighbor…not that distracts us from God, or competes with our attention to God, but as an expression of our love for God. It is in God that we find our neighbors and discover our responsibility to them.”  
 
Putting God first doesn’t take anything away from our love for others, in fact, by loving God first, we will love others best.
 
O Lord Jesus, while your words to us today seem so disconcerting we realize how deeply you desire our total commitment to you. Only you deserve and only you can command the first place in our life. Your Gospel message is not about breaking family ties but about boldness in not letting anything or anyone distract us from you. Grant us the strength to fight against all that interferes with deepening our love for you. As this love grows, may it direct, purify, and enrich the love I have for my family and neighbors. May I always love them deeply but love you supremely.
 
The following was added at the 11:00 am Mass
 
Speaking of commitment,  
 
Today our parish expresses its thanks for the commitment of our bookkeeper, Clara Gioe who is begins her retirement this Wednesday. This is after a long and dedicated service to the Church for over 30 years, twenty-six of those years in our parish.  
 
Bookkeeping, is a job that is more often carried out behind the scenes and requires strong attention to detail, financial accuracy, and good communication skills with the many vendors we deal with. Clara brought these to her work, which in no small part has helped our parish remain on a solid financial basis. Having worked so closely with Clara, I am most grateful for her long and devoted service. For Clara, these years have not been just about a carrying out a job…she has often called it a ministry to serve God and the Church. We are grateful too, to her husband Ben, who was in these last years, Clara’s driver and a generous office volunteer. They made the trip from Egg Harbor Township. A lot mileage on that vehicle!  
 
We wish you’re the very best in this new chapter of your life. Enjoy every minute. Clara and Ben, you have been a blessing to our community and I would invite you to come forward for a special blessing.