Explication
Every day
Biblical commentaries
Gospel (Mt 10, 37-42)
At that time, Jesus said to his Apostles: “He who loves his father or his mother more than me is not worthy of me; he who loves his son or his daughter more than me is not worthy of me; he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever has found his life will lose it; whoever lost his life because of me will keep it.
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes Him who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in his capacity as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; whoever welcomes a righteous man in his righteous capacity will receive a righteous reward. And whoever gives even a simple glass of cold water to one of these little ones as a disciple, amen, I say to you, no, he will not lose his reward. »
Other readings: 2 Kings 4, 8-11.14-16a; Ps 88 (89); Rom 6, 3-4.8-11
To understand
Is the Gospel to be read or followed?
Read a Gospel? It is neither reading a historical chronicle – even if certain facts are proven – nor becoming acquainted with a doctrine – even if all theology takes root there. Reading a Gospel means embarking on an initiatory journey: it involves following and letting yourself be accompanied by Jesus. We expect from reading the same interior and exterior transformation as from the first Christians.
At the heart of the Gospel according to Matthew, one verse alone sums up the reversal that Jesus’ friends are invited to experience: “He who has found his life will lose it; whoever lost his life because of me will keep it. » This key phrase is repeated in each Gospel (Mt 10:39; Mk 8:35; Lk 17:33; Jn 12:25). Lose to win. The inversion is enigmatic. It can only be understood from the path that Jesus takes: the path of non-power, the path of the cross. It will take time for the disciples to enter into this logic. It will take the whole Gospel. Against instantaneous answers, Jesus proposes the long way, the slow maturation of day after day: starting to follow without grasping everything, getting moving with the conviction that we will understand along the way.
Meditate
The mobility of the soul
“He who loves his child more than me is not worthy of me. » Jesus calls to prefer him. Not to deny the human bonds that constitute us, but to challenge our claim to decide alone what deserves first place in our lives. By loosening blood ties that are sometimes too tight, he leads us to the source of love that he himself is to love wider and further.
“Come after me. » To follow Christ is to recover the mobility of the soul. Little by little, we free ourselves from the importance we have in our own eyes to trust someone other than ourselves. We learn to “take up our cross”, that is to say, to live with Jesus the dramas that life presents to us.
“Lose your life, because of me. » This is the most difficult point. Coping with life’s tragedies while keeping faith is one thing. Accepting to lose your life for love of Jesus is another. What is this strange freedom that is born from abandonment? Clinging to him frees us. This truth is a gift, a gift to ask for.
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me. » Jesus delivers at the end what is probably the key to the whole passage: “He or she who makes room for you also makes room for me. » The most surprising fruit of detachments is the fact that Christ lives in us (Gal 2:20) and that we can bring him to others. Mary offers the most beautiful image of this hospitality. She welcomed and carried the Child-God in her womb, she followed him to the foot of the cross. The same call is addressed to us: to become “bearers of the life of Jesus”. We become capable of recognizing it in the prophet who announces it, in the righteous person who refuses compromise, in the little ones who are our brothers. Following Christ does not cut us off from the needs of the world, it teaches us to respond to them generously, without looking too much at ourselves, without fear of getting lost, because the divine presence inhabits us.
Pray
Lord Jesus, You said: “Do not be afraid. You can leave, lose, die. Take up your cross and come. It is I who live in you. »
Lord Jesus, give me the Spirit to understand. Give me the Church to walk the journey with others.
Lord Jesus, come and live in me today, come and take your place, come and live your life in mine. Amen.
