Being Worthy of Christ. Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

We continue our reading from the Gospel of Matthew, and today we are presented with the conditions for being worthy of Christ. Jesus says to his apostles: “”Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”. 

One recalls the question the bishop asks during the ordination rite, before ordaining the candidates: “Do you think they are worthy?”, “Do you know if they’re worthy?””. It is a solemn and serious question, not only for those preparing for the priesthood, but for all who wish to follow Christ.

Are we truly worthy of Christ? Can anyone truly be worthy of Him? And what does it mean to be worthy of Christ? To be worthy of Christ means to love Him above all people and all things. It means being willing to take up our cross and follow Him wherever He leads us.

This dignity involves the paradox of both cost and reward. The cost is everything, and the reward is everything. We are called to give everything in order to gain everything. Jesus says: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it".

At first glance, this seems contradictory. In everyday life, losing and finding are opposites: when something is lost, it is no longer found; when it is found, it is no longer lost. But in our relationship with God, the opposite is true. When we lose ourselves for Christ’s sake, when we give ourselves completely to Him, that is when we truly discover who we are. Only in Christ do we fully find ourselves. That is the Christian paradox.

This same paradox of giving and receiving is also expressed through the theme of hospitality, which is present in both the first reading and the Gospel. We are called both to give generously and to receive with gratitude. In the Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.".

These words are beautifully illustrated in the first reading. A wealthy woman from Shunem welcomed the prophet Elisha into her home. In gratitude for her hospitality, Elisha promised her that she would have a son, and indeed she gave birth to one the following year. Later, when the child died suddenly, Elisha brought him back to life. This woman’s generosity was richly rewarded. Through her hospitality and openness to God’s prophet, she became worthy of God’s blessing.

To be worthy of Christ, then, means to live with complete generosity, giving ourselves entirely to God. And every time we give ourselves to the Lord, we discover that He never falls short in generosity.