CẢM NGHIỆM SỐNG LC - REFLECTION 13TH SUNDAY-A
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- Category: 2. Cảm Nghiệm Sống Lời Chúa
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Mo NguyenSat, Jun 27 at 5:16 AMTHIRTEEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A - 28 JUNE 2020
REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL (Matthew 10: 37-42)
WELCOMING CHRIST
The attractive themes of ‘welcome’ and ‘hospitality’ running through today’s readings sit a bit uncomfortably alongside the opening words of the Gospel, where Jesus starkly rules out ‘preferring’ family members to loyalty to himself.
The warning reflects the situation of the early church, where the experience, or at least the threat, of persecution was very real, and where some members of a family may have been Christian and some not. In contemporary societies that are either majority Christian or tolerantly post-Christian, we may not face this challenge so sharply. If, however, we are comfortable in our world, largely sharing its values and aspirations, then some aspect of Christ’s message is not getting through to us.
At this point, the theme of ‘welcome’ in the second part of today’s Gospel comes into play. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is from the start ‘Emmanuel – God with us’ (1: 23). This sense of divine presence stands behind the statement: ‘Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me; and those who welcome me, welcome the One who sent me’.
The stranger, then, who stands before us comes as an emissary and representative of Christ and, further, of the Father, who sent Christ to be the divine presence in our world. In dealing with this person, we are in some sense dealing with our God.
As never before, save perhaps immediately after World War II, are so many people being displaced through war, tyranny or economic misery. In the light of this mass movement, Christ’s words about discipleship and welcome hold fresh challenge.
Brendan Byrne, SJ
Emmanuel Our God Is With Us:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnXDK8YWp_Y
Chúa Nhật 13 THƯỜNG NIÊN A – Thánh Vịnh 88 – ĐÁP CA – Ca sĩ: Thanh Hoài:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G-z5CF0ABg