13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, June 28 Homily
June 28, 2026
Homily in English
I’ve come to realize that many people think about themselves a lot – about what happened to me, or who did or didn’t do what to me, or what I prefer or don’t prefer. And, as a result, a self-centered, sometimes self-entitled, mindset has become quite common today. Of course we do this because we think putting self first will make us happy. And we all naturally want to be happy. This type of selfish thinking plays out in all sorts of ways in life. Take the following insight into marriage, for example, that I recently came across: “Many people get married because the other person makes them happy. But lots of people don’t stay married because that’s not what being in relationship is about – my happiness first. Rather, real love is about serving others – asking the question: What can I do for the other person, to make them happy?” So simple, and yet so profound!
And then as I was reading today’s Scripture passages for Mass, I saw this very practical wisdom put into action. Take our first reading from 2 Kings. This very nice woman invites Elisha the prophet to have dinner with her and her husband whenever he’s in town. But, her care for him doesn’t just end there. She suggests to her husband that they build a little guest room for the prophet when he’s visiting. And then, in return, Elisha asks one day what can be done for her because of the generosity shown. Turns out that she and her husband had no son. And so, Elisha intercedes with God, to the extent that he prophesies that she will be carrying her own son by this time next year.
And then I read in the Gospel today about how anyone who gives a mere cup of cold water to someone, because that person is a disciple of Jesus, will be blessed by God with sure reward. What real acts of charity in these two instances! What decisions to make another’s life better. It makes it sound so nice and easy, doesn’t it?
But, let’s bring this down to the level where we live – our daily lives. What if your spouse – or children, what if your parents – asked for a nice cup of cold water. “Go get one yourself!” “Nobody ever gets me a drink!” “What do you think I am? Your servant?!” Now maybe if it were Fr. Marcoe who came over to your house for dinner, you’d only be too glad to get me something to drink. See what’s going on here? Or maybe you’d think about that prophet, Elisha, coming to town – “Well, isn’t that what hotels are for?” “Can’t he stay with someone else?” “I just got home from work and I really don’t feel like entertaining or fixing dinner!”
You see, when the focus is on me, myself, and I, we think it’s going to make us happy. We just don’t feel like doing something for someone else by going a little bit out of our way. And we reap our reward – a little bit of momentary comfort. But, when we give up the opportunities that God gives us to be a servant to others, we miss out on the grace – the reward, the blessing – He wants to give us. He knows it costs us. Look at what it cost Jesus on the cross. I mean, exerting His human will, could He have said, “So many of those people aren’t even going to care that I died for them on the cross to save them. Do I have to go there?” But instead, out of His generous love for us, His voluntary sacrifice has given us the promise of eternal life!
Living in this way does cost us. It does cost us. But Jesus says in the Gospel today, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me cannot be my disciple.” However, He then goes on to say, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” And this is the great paradox of Christian living. When we die to self – that is, putting self, self, self first – we discover the joy of being in service to others. When you see the pile of dishes in the sink, and you willingly wash them or put them in the dishwasher – without complaining. When you feel the Holy Spirit nudge to pray, but you’d just binge Nexflix. When you could get more involved in the parish, but you’d rather just not commit. When we go out of our comfort zone, and do these things for others, God blesses us, even as we are serving as a blessing for others.
As I said, we call this “dying to self”. St. Paul puts it this way in our second reading today: “You too must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.” In other words, it’s about dying to those selfish, me-centered, self-absorbed tendencies that we all have in different ways, and instead living a God-centered life. Doing what He did. Remember, Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. To live in such a way is to live as a mature disciple of Jesus. An immature person seeks to take – gimme’. A mature person seeks to give of him- or herself and be of service to others.
And so, as we continue living in the midst of a rather self-focused world, let your focus turn to being a blessing to others. It’ll get their attention! And by so doing, the love of the Father, which flows through these actions, will fill you with His great peace and joy, and be a witness to them of what being a Christian really means. God bless you.