Reflection on the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The name Elisha means “God is salvation,” and Elisha, the prophet in the first reading, is recognized in Jewish, Christian and Islamic texts as a prophet of God. Elisha’s ministry spanned approximately 60 years, during which he advised kings, corrected wrongdoing, and performed numerous miracles to demonstrate God’s power and compassion. His notable miracles include the parting of the Jordan River, purifying the waters of Jericho, multiplying a widow’s oil, raising a woman’s son from the dead, and healing Naaman, the Syrian commander, from leprosy. These acts not only provided physical relief but also served as signs of divine authority and intervention.

In the first reading we see the hospitality and thoughtfulness of “a woman of influence” with no name. I would describe her as a woman who demonstrated hospitality of heart and of home. I do not know how much she knew about the prophet, but she was certainly interested in learning more. He came frequently, and I imagine he recognized the heart of a seeker in her. At her request, her husband created a real space for Elisha when he “arranged a little room on the roof and furnished it for him with a bed, table, chair and lamp.” That is hospitality at a very thoughtful level, more than most would have expected in those days.

And, in return, we see the compassionate heart of Elisha responding with a gift no one else could give the woman, a gift she surely wished for, a son. This woman of influence is shown God’s compassion by the prophet Elisha. We see the prophet offering her saving grace in this life in response to her own belief in God and her seeking salvation by learning from this prophet. And, in this case, thoughtfulness takes the form of providing for her future care and security by promising her a son. In those days, that was the way for women to have security and care when they lost their husband. That seems like a wonderful story with a happy ending, just the way we like our stories to end.

And then we get to the Gospel and Jesus tells us that we must be careful. If we love our family – our father and mother, our sons and daughters more than we love God and we do not take up our cross, we are not worthy and we will not find the life we are seeking in and with God. Sometimes that can seem a little harsh. 

I often found it difficult to believe that the disciples who followed Jesus simply left their families one day and went off to follow Jesus. An abrupt abandonment seems very harsh and not very compassionate to me. So I imagine it was more like what people have done throughout the ages when they joined religious communities.

A person encounters someone who seems to be “of God” and is doing good work, helping others and is happy. I wonder how many times the disciples heard Jesus speak, how many miracles they witnessed and how much hope he instilled in people before they decided to get more involved. Did they feel a loss and a diminished sense of purpose after they heard Jesus speak and  went back to their regular lives? What kind of conversations did they have with spouses and family members as the attraction to Jesus and his teachings became more compelling?

I try to imagine myself if Jesus actually walked on Earth while I was alive. Would I have enough trust and faith in this person to leave everything and follow him? Or would I be in the “not worthy” group who was intrigued but not able to fully commit. 

Since the time of Jesus, we have all had to be on guard for false prophets, and today is no exception. There are people who call themselves Christian, followers of Christ, and I cannot label them as anything other than false prophets. But if Jesus came and did amazing things, would it be enough? I do not know for sure.

There is some consolation in the last part of the Gospel though. Jesus says, “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 say to you, they will surely not lose their reward.”

It seems to me that we have multiple opportunities, large and small, to follow the Gospel and pay attention to those who bring good news to all God’s people. I believe that listening to the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Bishop Oscar Romero and others and following their advice in ways large and small is part of the path of the Gospel, and we are rewarded for our efforts.