We could entitle today’s Gospel reading as “The instructions of Christ on following Him and finding a meaningful life.”
GOSPEL READINGS: 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 his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple—amen, I tell you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
GOSPEL REFLECTIONS:
In today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew (10:37–42), Jesus continues His instructions to the disciples as they prepare to go into the world to proclaim the Good News. These instructions apply directly to all of His disciples today, and to anyone who desires to be a follower of Christ in the world.
1. The Primacy of God
The first point Jesus makes echoes the First Commandment: to place the Lord in the first position in our lives and to let nothing or no one detract from that. Placing God first means paying close attention to His Word and intentionally forming ourselves according to the teachings of Jesus, so that we can become more effective witnesses. Loving God first helps us properly order all of our other relationships. It ensures that we belong to God before all else, protecting that sacred bond through which we nurture our spirits from competing commitments or worldly mindsets.
Honoring this divine primacy helps us develop inner strength to handle our responsibilities. It reminds us that we depend on God, that we are known by Him, and that we ultimately belong to Him—coming from Him and returning to Him. This thread running through our lives keeps our focus sharp, creating a space where every relationship we build and every action we take is nested and protected. Everything receives its true meaning and purpose within the context of God’s overarching purpose for our lives. To discern this meaning, we must first listen to God daily, gaining the encouragement and strength needed for the unique purpose He has designed for us. God’s intentions are the source of all meaning; through Him, even our most mundane, daily tasks become part of a grander design. When we walk with Jesus and place our lives into the hands of the Father, nothing is a mere coincidence or a random occurrence. Everything we experience is accounted for in the sight of God. We walk constantly in the presence of the Lord.
2. Carrying the Cross
The second point is that walking with the Lord will not be easy. It serves as a profound reminder that what is meaningful in life is not always what is convenient or easy. Following Christ requires “taking up our cross on a daily basis” and facing various challenges. These might be health struggles for us or a family member, tasks we would rather avoid, or duties that do not particularly motivate us. Yet, when we look past the ordinary and see the hand of God, even the most inconvenient task becomes an offering—something we can discuss with the Lord in prayer. Through these moments, the Lord can build our character, make something known to us, or reveal Himself to us.
For example, the task of writing and contemplating this very text might feel like a chore week after week. But doing it with the Lord makes it worthy and worthwhile. In the time spent with Him, He speaks to the soul, guiding what to write based on what we understand. It transforms the work into a meaningful conversation with God.
Later in the day, there may be cooking, laundry, or shopping to do. We meet people, walk down the streets, and notice the weather or the beauty of nature in the summer. All of this is an opportunity to be grateful for the gift of movement, the gift of sight, the muscle strength to carry heavy bags, and the financial resources to purchase what we need. Walking alone or walking with someone becomes an occasion to connect and share a task together.
This reality of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary is perfectly illustrated by the life of Nicolas Herman, a 17th-century layman who became a Discalced Carmelite monk in Paris, taking the name Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. Lacking a formal education and describing himself as a “great awkward fellow,” he was assigned to the humblest, most chaotic place in the monastery: the kitchen. For fifteen years, he washed grease-stained pots and prepared meals amidst constant noise and clutter. Yet, it was precisely there that he developed a profound way of prayer captured in his classic work, The Practice of the Presence of God. (1)
He famously wrote that the clatter of his kitchen did not differ from the quiet of prayer, noting that he possessed God in as great a tranquility while people called for different things as if he were upon his knees before the Blessed Sacrament. He believed God regards not the greatness of a work, but the love with which it is performed, remarking, “ We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king.” (1) Like Brother Lawrence, we can embrace the truth that while a task may not be easy or convenient, doing it with love makes it deeply meaningful.
But what about the literal cross Jesus talks about? The cross was a brutal instrument of torture. Invented by the Persians, used by the Greeks, and “perfected” by the Romans, it was a political tool of psychological warfare and public humiliation designed to crush rebellions and deter resistance. (2) Sometimes hundreds or thousands of people were crucified at once, not in isolated locations, but near busy public spaces to maximize their visible suffering. Why would Jesus refer to such a terrifying object? Fully aware of the intensity of human suffering—and the unavoidable suffering ahead of Him—Jesus uses the cross not just as a metaphor, but as a foreshadowing of what He and His followers would experience.
We can often feel like outcasts, unwanted or out of place simply because we are different. This is especially true when we stand up for values that are not culturally endorsed or are even frowned upon. For instance, attending a weekday church service is not popular in our modern culture. I grew up in a country where, under Communism, church attendance was not only frowned upon but viewed as an act of disloyalty to the state. It was strictly prohibited for people in professional roles, lest they influence others and spread a worldview counter to the regime’s mandatory atheism.
Since that experience, I have always viewed sanctuaries and places of worship as safe havens—quiet spaces for contemplation. In these places, our physical presence makes a silent statement: that we stand against atheism, conformism, collectivism, and cultural indifference. We choose to intentionally hear and contemplate the Word of God, removed from the chatter of the world and the noise of modern influencers, so we can focus on the humble examples of those who followed the Lord before us. We spend time with the saints, our Blessed Mother, and our Lord in prayer.
Time is a precious commodity. Our culture says, “time is money,” but the truth is that where you invest your time, there your treasure will be also. If you dedicate time to prayer, you spend it building your intentions and resolving to act in life-giving ways—fostering persistence, courage, patience, endurance, and acts of kindness. The strength the Lord provides for these actions is the first reward of time well spent in His presence. Another profound benefit is the freedom to bring all of our raw feelings, thoughts, and hurts to Him. He helps us carry our crosses with grace and patience. You can hand Him part of the heavy load, or ask Him to take it entirely, trusting Him for the strength to endure.
When we carry our daily struggles with Jesus, He acts as our own Simon of Cyrene—the man pulled from the crowd to help shoulder the physical beam of Christ’s cross on the way to Calvary. In the same way, the Lord steps in to lift the heaviest part of our burdens so that we do not collapse under their weight. We are no longer doing it alone; we are doing it with the Lord, and pain shared is pain halved. One can even offer the suffering up for others, trusting the Lord to mysteriously convert it into a healing force in the world to serve His purposes. When grace and blessings flow from that sacrifice, one gets to share in that holy work.
From the early morning prayers of gratitude and intercession for the world until the day ends, everything we do can be given to the Lord for His glory.
3. The Promise of Reward
This brings us to the third point Jesus makes: we will receive a reward for even the least of the works we do. Jesus promises that even the smallest gesture of goodwill, such as giving a cup of cold water to one of His disciples, will not lose its reward. We can offer refreshing words, supportive actions, or tiny gestures of goodwill as tokens of appreciation for life and God’s goodness. The Lord counts and keeps track of them all; nothing is hidden from His sight.
Do we work for rewards? Absolutely. But not necessarily for earthly rewards. He rewards us both in this life and in the next. In this life, the reward may not come in the form of material wealth or worldly success, but rather as the greatest reward of all: the deep knowledge that we have worked for Him and with Him in everything we say and do. Being useful to God gives us a profound sense of purpose, knowing that we are part of something much greater than ourselves.
Pope Leo the XIV message for this week echoes Jesus’ invitation to work alongside Him:
“Today’s world, with its many fears and anxieties, tensions and wars, presents an increasingly urgent need for peace in the hearts of both individuals and people. Amid the vortex of violence that poisons relationships and destroys lives, the mercy of God asks to be allowed into our hearts with its amazing power of renewal. It is this mercy that is capable of turning our lives around, opening the way to love and forgiveness as distinctive features of the face of God manifested through us. God never tires of showing His mercy. His love, as the Psalmist says, endures forever, and how much our world is crying out for mercy at every level. But the peace that we so deeply desire cannot be attained without mercy.” (3)
Conclusion
In closing, Jesus calls us to prioritize Him, face every difficulty in imitation of Him, and offer everything back to Him, knowing it is in safe hands and will never be forgotten or discarded. A good work always deserves its reward, and the greatest reward of all is working alongside our Lord in this world.
At the end of our lives, we want to look back and say, “Thank you for life—for what it was, what it offered, and for the magnificent adventure it turned out to be.” Despite the ups and downs, we can rejoice in the love benevolently and freely bestowed upon us, the potential we were given, and what we managed to give back to God. We should use our time to the fullest, pouring ourselves out generously so that we may collect lasting treasures in the Kingdom of God. We need to aim be loving, kind, and merciful, just as God is always merciful to us.
This is practical guide of what following Jesus requires of us, and the sense of peace and purpose that we receive in return as our reward.
Amen.
Sources:
- Brother Lawrence (1982). The practice of the presence of God. (C. H. Ed., Tans.). Whitaker House (Original work published in 1692). A freely available copy is accessible through: Brother Lawrence (n.d.). The practice of the presence of God: the best rule of holy life (M. C., Trans.). Christian Classics Ethereal Library. https://ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice/practice
- Peters, T. (2026). Matthew 10:37-42: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Gospel Reflection, Year A. Fr. Tim Peters. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvq7eVCnM0Y. Accessed: June 23, 2026.
- Pope Leo XIV (2026). “God never tires of showing His mercy!” Live message from the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy. June 23, 2026. EWTN Live.