Word of God 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a; Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19; Rom 6:3-4, 8-11; Mt 10:37-42 The first reading that describes the hospitality the Shunemite woman offered to the prophet Elisha suggests that attention should be focused on the concluding section of the Gospel reading. It speaks of the responsibility of those who hear the Word of God towards those who proclaim it to them. Still, the first verse of the Gospel reading demands attention: “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.” Luke 14:26 employs even stronger language: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” What are we to make of these hard sayings? It is likely that those who first heard these sayings found them even more shocking than those who hear them today. Judaism protected the family with laws and customs that set this social, economic and religious institution apart from all others. After the destruction of the temple, the family became the center of Jewish religious life. The strength of the Jewish family is what made it possible for Judaism to survive despite all the challenges faced by the Jewish people over the centuries. Christians have followed suit as they found the family a central feature of their life with God. A principal concern of Catholic teaching and practice is the protection of the family, the enhancement of family life, the promotion of family values. It is likely that the hard sayings in Matthew and Luke reflect the experience of the first Christians who came to Christ from Judaism. When one or another member of a Jewish family became a Christian while the rest of the family remained committed to their ancestral faith, a great rift took place in that family. Their confession of faith in Christ tore their families apart. Those who became Christians were aware of that and they nonetheless became Christians. The words of Jesus provided some support for Jewish Christians in a most difficult and troubling situation. Most people who accept Christ today do not turn their backs on their families, though some people face a similar difficult situation. Those who advise and accompany young people thinking about religious life or the priesthood say that one challenge they have in their dealings with prospective candidates is the opposition of parents to a vocation in their family — often because the parents want grandchildren. Certainly, a most difficult moment in the life of any parent is the moment they have to let their children find their way in this world. There comes a time in the life of every family when the best thing parents can do for a child is to let them go — to make their own choices about their future. The worst thing parents can do is force their children to choose between their family and the future they want for themselves. Parents should not have to be persuaded to encourage any child of theirs to choose a life of service to the people of God as a religious sister, brother or priest. The reading from 2 Kings and the Gospel lesson direct our attention to the responsibilities of those who hear the word of God proclaimed to them. The communication of the Word of God is a two-way street. Ministers of the word, of course, need to prepare for their ministry by lifelong study of the Scriptures and theology. To proclaim God’s word with integrity, they ought to make Scriptures the source of their prayer. This will help ensure that their proclamation of the Gospel is not a recitation of their opinions but an authentic declaration of the Word of God as found in the Scriptures. The Christian faithful also have responsibilities to fulfill if the proclamation of the Word of God is to have the proper effect. Like the Shunemite woman, they are to be ready to hear and respond to the Word of God that is proclaimed to them. They ought to listen — not for eloquent or entertaining words — but the Word of God that convicts them of their sins, assures them of God’s forgiveness and love, moves them to gratitude for and action in response to the word they hear.
About the Author Father Leslie Hoppe, OFM, is professor emeritus of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union, 5416 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago.