13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Homily (2026)
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Psalm 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19 (2a)
Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Matthew 10:37-42
June 28, 2026
Does hearing Jesus say, “whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,” trouble you? He says the same for parents towards their children. Do you find this confusing?
If we don’t listen carefully, these words of Jesus might seem to contradict the second greatest commandment to love our neighbor. To understand this, we need to understand that loving our neighbor is the second greatest commandment. The first is to love God. Jesus tells us that God must be our first love.
God must be our greatest priority. We must be willing to take up our Cross to follow him.
As I prepare to leave St. Mary’s and St. Benedict’s, I hope I have encouraged you to make God the greatest priority of your life. Too often we say we are too busy.
I know we are too busy. I have been too busy here. Being busy just means that we need to work harder to make God our priority. It can be done. I’ve seen it just this week. At daily Mass this past week there has been a young man from Europe. He travels the world as a race car driver. He is in the big race this Sunday. He was talking to me about our Sunday Mass schedule trying to figure out when he could get to Mass. In his shoes, would you even bother to try to get to Mass? Let him inspire you to get to Mass every Sunday.
Jesus says to us, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” If you put all your efforts into finding your life in this world, you could lose your spiritual life in Heaven. If you lose the things of this world/life for our Lord, you will find your life with God.
This is what Paul points us to when he reminds that if we die in Baptism to the things of this world, we will raise to new life in Heaven. I hope what I have done while I have been here leads you to live for God.
As I prepare to leave, we could talk about the work that has been done on our buildings while I have been here. This is important work because we need a place to worship but others have done much of that work.
As I prepare to leave, I think of the years when we had major deficits, and how through your generosity, we came to balanced budgets. This is wonderful and I pray you continue to be generous in your giving under Fr. Bob’s leadership.
Yet, when I think of what really matters, I turn to the words of our opening prayer, “that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth,” I hope what I have offered in my time here has helped lead you closer to our Lord as our light.
For me, there is no greater reward than to have someone tell me they have come closer to Christ.
Have you taking a single step closer to God?
I think of the people who have returned to Church.
I think of those who started coming more regularly to Church.
I think of the seven people who participated in OCIA this year.
I think of the four girls who received their First Communion in May. I think of Max who makes his First Communion at St. Benedict’s this weekend.
I think of the annual Eucharistic Processions that we started in 2023. I think of the people who have told me how it touched them. It’s not just those who join in the Procession. I think of the people who see us in the Eucharistic Procession and stop what they are doing and silently watch as we pass by with Jesus.
I think of the new faces at daily Mass in the last couple of years. Our numbers at daily Mass had been shrinking as one or two people died and others became homebound or moved to assisted living or nursing homes. The new faces at daily Mass give me hope for the future in seeing people make time for God in their daily lives.
Here you are in church. Clearly God means something to you. You must know something He has done for his people. You must know something He has done for you. It starts with the fact that Jesus died for you. Is God your greatest priority?