Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne

Homily

Draw from the source

In this Sunday's Gospel, Christ addresses us with very powerful words. We find three absolutely essential elements: welcome, attachment to Jesus, and our role as ambassadors of Christ.

Preferring Christ doesn't mean we shouldn't love our loved ones. What he expects of us is that we give him first place. When Christ has priority in our lives, he becomes our model. We too can love others more and more in the way Jesus did. When young engaged couples decide to unite for life, it doesn't mean they're rejecting their families, their parents, or their friends. It's the same in our relationship with Christ: preferring him means becoming capable of truly loving others. He himself recommends that we love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves.

When Saint Matthew wrote this Gospel, he was addressing believers who faced a difficult choice in their journey of conversion. Of course, they were happy to embrace Christ; but at the same time, they were misunderstood and rejected by their families. This rejection could even lead to persecution. But despite the threats, many chose to remain faithful to their devotion to Christ.

This early community was composed of itinerant disciples and those who settled in one place. The latter were encouraged to welcome others; hospitality is a core value in Judaism, as we saw in the first reading, which tells of the prophet Elisha being welcomed by the Shunammite woman. This woman shows generosity because she recognized him as a man of God. But she carries within her a suffering she doesn't speak of: she has no son, and her husband is old. With great tenderness, she promises him the son she had given up hope of having.

Listening to this passage from the Word of God, we understand that welcoming others means listening to their confidences, sharing their joys and sorrows. What matters is not the quantity or the luxury, but the quality of the welcome. We Christians have learned that in the people we meet, it is God who is present; it is He whom we welcome or whom we refuse to welcome. Let us not forget: it is by our qualities of love and welcome that we will be recognized as disciples of Christ.

In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul speaks to us of the most important day of our lives, the day we were welcomed into the great family of Christians. We understand that he is referring to baptism. Currently, we find it a little difficult to grasp this. But it is important to know that in the early Church, the newly baptized came from a world without God. For them, life had no meaning. But God met them and welcomed them. Baptism was for them a new birth; it was a radical break with the existence they had known until then. On the day of our baptism, we were immersed in this ocean of love that is in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From now on, we choose to welcome Christ and place him at the center of our lives.

Our acceptance of Christ and our devotion to him impel us to missionary engagement. Jesus, who calls us all to follow him, is not just another teacher. He is the Son of God who "came to seek and save the lost." We are sent to bear witness, through our lives and words, to the One who dwells within us. We contribute to building this new world that Jesus calls the Kingdom of God; in this Kingdom, listening to others, mutual aid, solidarity, support for others, and visiting the sick are paramount. Jesus himself tells us this: "Whatever you have done for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done for me" (Matthew 25:40).

We, disciples of Christ, are therefore sent. But we must not forget that we are not our own source: we do not speak or act in our own name. We must not be proud of the reception our witness receives. Indeed, it is God who works in the hearts of those he places on our path. We must therefore remain very humble, for without Jesus, nothing would have been possible. The role of the Church, our role, is precisely to welcome all those who feel drawn to him. It is by these qualities of welcome that we will be recognized as disciples of Christ.

On Sundays, we gather for the Eucharist; it is God who welcomes us into his house. He invites us to his feast. And at the end of each Mass, he sends us out to bear witness in the world to this freely given love, always offered. There are countless opportunities to make others happier. Let us not miss them. Through them, it is the Lord who knocks at our door.