Gospel Reflections for June 28 2026: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel for June 28 2026 – Matthew 10:37-42

Gospel Reflections for June 28 2026

Loyalty, Allegiance, and Faith

All these themes come together in a remarkable way in this Sunday’s Gospel. Who are you loyal to? To what nation do you pledge allegiance? Who do you believe?

In the ancient world, all answers would center on your family. That is where you would place all your loyalty, allegiance, and faith. Therefore, it is remarkable that Jesus says these amazing words in the Gospel.

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 after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

This Gospel was written at a time when some family members chose the way of Jesus while the rest of the family did not. I am sure many families today have members who are on a different path than our Catholic faith. You can imagine the hurt feelings. However, those early Christians continued to love their pagan family members even as they went their separate ways.  

That was the unique Christian virtue that made such a difference. While ancient people loved their own family, they could care less about the family next door. Christians were called to love every single person on the planet as their brother and sister. They cared for their own sick grandmother …and also the sick grandmother of their Roman neighbors!

Following Christ calls for your faith, hope, love, and courage to follow His path …and also your love for those who do not …even if in your own family.

This kind of love made a difference among the pagans. They had never experienced this kind of unconditional love before. It is no wonder that those early Catholics soon converted the entire Roman Empire to Catholicism, and soon even the Roman Emperor himself!

Our nation’s founders affirmed that our success would be based on virtues of loyalty, patriotism, and the religious faith of individual people, independent of family connections or social rank, and on people of goodwill working together in the pursuit of happiness.

 In a new nation without any police force, this new nation needed strong and courageous individuals who were personally committed to a life of loyalty, allegiance, and especially …religious faith!

God Bless!

Fr. Dave