Giving It All

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, July 2nd, 2023:
The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Matthew
10.37-42

Jesus said to his Apostles: “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 their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you — that person will not lose their reward.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Following Jesus is ridiculously easy. Following Jesus is impossibly hard. 
 
This Gospel reading captures a core paradox at the heart of Christianity. We will be asked to give everything, even our own lives – and yet even an act as simple as helping a child in need will be rewarded. 
 
This might sound like a contradiction, but I am convinced that both are true. There is a quote from the Jewish Talmud that captures this well: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
 
Our faith is simple. Jesus told us that his yoke would be easy. We are called to love others. This aspect of our human nature can come easily. It feels natural to comfort a crying child, to pour a drink for a thirsty friend, to bring a meal to a family member in grief. No matter how small our effort, each time we choose to love someone else, we share in a taste of heaven on earth. This isn’t a begrudging or skeptical joy on God’s part – we have His full and complete delight in us whenever we choose love.
 
And yet, He cannot be satisfied with just the small and the simple – and neither can we. Our restless hearts call us to more, more, more. For every small act of love we make, the moments of selfishness and sin stand out even more. This is the work we pick away at over the course of a lifetime: one small thing, then another, then another, then a sudden realization that there is a big thing we’ve been holding back when we know it rightly belongs to God. 
 
There was a time in my life (okay, most of my life) where ambition was a core driving force for me. It affected who I spent time with, what I studied, how hard I worked, the prayers I brought to God. I don’t think ambition is inherently sinful, but I often let my ambition become an idol. There were jobs and roles I refused to consider because my ambition said they were beneath me. God cracked away at it bit by bit, but I clung to my ambitions, certain that I would be truly happy only if I was accomplished in a way that impresses the world. When God finally called me to let go of this idol entirely, and when I finally let go, I found a peace I’d never known before. The happiness I wanted wasn’t waiting for me at the end of some long list of accomplishments – it was something God wanted me to have and to know right now. 
 
I haven’t completed the work of giving myself wholly to God, but neither He nor I want me to abandon it. 

If following Jesus feels impossibly hard right now, He might be calling you to focus on ways it feels easy. If it feels a little too easy, He’s probably calling you to make it a little harder. But we’re never alone – He delights in us, in the big and small ways we put Him first.



Jenna Young

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