2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a; Psalm 89 (88): 2-3, 16-19, Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; and Matthew 10:37-42
Making Room for Christ: The Courage to Choose Love
The uncomfortable question Jesus poses to us today is neither soft nor easy: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” At first hearing, it may sound harsh. Does Jesus want us to love our families less? Of course not. He wants us to love Him first so that we can love everyone else rightly. Today’s readings invite us to ask one simple but life-changing question: Who truly has first place in my heart? Brothers and sisters, let’s think about that together.
In the First Reading, we meet the Shunammite woman. She notices that the prophet Elisha regularly passes through her town. She could have greeted him politely and gone back to her busy life. Instead, she does something extraordinary. She prepares a room for him in her home, with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. She literally makes space for God by making space for God’s prophet. Now, let me ask you: Have we made room for Christ in our lives?
We often create space for many things: work, entertainment, social media, football, shopping, and endless notifications. But where do we make space for Jesus? The inspiring part is that the Shunammite woman served without expecting anything in return. She simply acknowledged God’s presence and welcomed it. Ironically, her selfless giving led to her receiving her heartfelt wish, a son, demonstrating how God often operates. When we prioritise Him, He fills our lives with blessings beyond our expectations.
The Gospel takes this lesson even further. Jesus says that anyone who receives one of His disciples receives Him. Even giving a cup of cold water to one of His little ones will not go unnoticed. Jesus is not asking everyone to perform spectacular miracles. He speaks of ordinary acts, a welcome, a kind gesture, a cup of water. Just be kind. Kindness does so much for those who are kind. We may sometimes think holiness requires extraordinary achievements. But perhaps holiness begins with ordinary love offered in extraordinary faith. A smile to someone who is lonely. A visit to a sick neighbour. Forgiving someone who has hurt us. Listening patiently to our spouse or child after a long day. Helping someone who cannot repay us. These may seem small, but in God’s eyes, they become encounters with Christ Himself.
St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that through Baptism we have died and risen with Christ. This is a new way of life. Think about it. If the old self has died, why do we continue to live as though nothing has changed? Why do fear, selfishness, jealousy, anger, or pride still dictate our decisions? Every morning, we wake with a choice. Will I live as the old person who puts self first? Or will I live as the new person who belongs to Christ? That is the daily cross Jesus speaks of. It is not merely suffering. It is the daily decision to let Christ shape our thoughts, words, and actions.
Perhaps this is why today’s Psalm repeatedly sings of God’s faithful love. We cannot choose Christ by our own strength alone. We choose Him because He first chose us. His love makes our faithfulness possible. So perhaps the real question today is not, “Do I love Jesus?” Most of us would quickly answer yes. A more challenging question is: What does my calendar say I love? What does my spending reveal I love? What do my conversations reveal I love? What occupies my thoughts most?
Those questions are harder because they reveal what truly comes first. The good news is that Jesus never asks us to choose Him in order to take life away from us. He asks us to choose Him because He alone gives life its deepest meaning. The Shunammite woman discovered that. St. Paul discovered that. The disciples discovered that. And countless saints have discovered that putting Christ first never diminishes our humanity; it transforms it. As we approach this altar today, Jesus once again comes into our house, just as Elisha entered the home of the Shunammite woman. The question is no longer whether He wants to enter. He already does.
The question is: Have we made space for Him in our hearts? If we welcome Him, prioritise Him, and see Him in everyone we encounter, we will realise that the life we give up is never truly lost. Instead, it is transformed into the fullness of life that only Christ offers. Let us depart from this Eucharist with a single prayer in our hearts:
“Lord Jesus, help me to make room for You every day, so that in choosing You first, I may learn to love everyone else even better.” Amen.
