Father Gervan Menezes - June 28

St. Philip Catholic Church: There are moments in the gospel when Jesus comforts us and there are moments when he challenged us. Today is one of those challenge moments. Jesus says whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worth of me. At first, those words sound most almost shocking. Isn't the honoring our fathers, our parents one of the Ten Commandments? Doesn't Jesus teach us to love our families? Of course he does. Jesus is not telling us to love our families less. He is then teaching us to love him first. Because when Christ is first, everyone else receives our love in the proper place. If God is not the first, eventually everything else becomes disordered. Think of a well, the hub of the at the well. If the hub is off center, every spoke is effect. Christ is the hub of our lives. When He is at the center, every relationship becomes stronger. Our marriage, family, friendships, and even our parish become stronger. The gospel is really asking one question. Who is the first of my life? Not who do I say is the first, but who actually becomes first in my daily decisions. Our calendar answer that questions. Our checkbook answer that question. Our priorities answer that question. The first reading give us a beautiful example. The wealth woman of Sun recognized Elijah. is a holy man of God. She doesn't simply admire him. She rearranged her life to welcome him, she builds up room for him, a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. She makes space for God by making space for God's servant. Because of her generosity, God's blessing blesses her with the son she had long desired. She teaches us something very important. Grace often beginning begins by making room. We are very good at making room for many things. Sports. Hey the World Cup is here. We all gonna go watch Brazil this week. Work, entertainment, social media, vacations. But have we intentionally made room for Christ? Do we have time set aside every day for prayer? Do we make room for Sunday Mass not because it is an obligation, but because it's an encounter with the one who gives us life? Do we make room in our homes for conversations about faith? God rarely forces his way into our lives. He wants and waits to be welcomed. Then Saint Paul reminds us why all this matters. Through baptism we have died with Christ and reasoned with him to a new life. Christianity is not simply trying to be a better person, it is living the very life of Christ. Every day we are invited to die a little more to selfishness and live more fully to God. Yesterday I celebrated a wedding from two of my Tennessee Tech kids kids. ⁓ and one of the for yourself and make sure that you give lives to your husband and to your wife. If we only understand this, perhaps weddings will be more fruitful in our days. This is Why Jesus says whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. The Word tells us that happiness comes from accumulating. Jesus tells us that happiness comes from surrendering. The Word says protect yourself. Jesus says give yourself. The Word said live for yourself. Jesus says live for others. And then Almost surprising Jesus ends with something very small. Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of those little ones will not lose his reward. Notice the contrast. Jesus begins with the greatest sacrifice, placing him above everything. He ends with the smallest act a cold, a cup of cold water. Why is that? Because true discipleship is living ordinary moments. Most of us will never be called to dramatic acts of heroism. But every one of us is called today to listen patiently to someone who needs us, to forgive, to visit someone who is lonely, to encourage someone who is disencouraged, to welcome a stranger, to offer a simple act of kindness. The saints became saints not because they did extraordinary things every day. But because did ordinary things with extraordinary love, as Modert reason often remind people, not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love. Brothers and sisters, today's gospel asks us to make one decision. Put Jesus first. When Christ is first, everything else finds its proper place. And when we begin to live that way, even though sometimes some things are simple as offering a cup of cold water, we discover the paradox of the gospel. The more we give. our lives away the more fully we found an May this Eucharist strength us to make room for Christ every day, to carry our cross with joy, and to love him above all else, knowing that in him we discovered a life that truly lasts forever.