20260628 BE A CHRIST-BEARER
28 June 2026, Sunday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Kings 4:8-11,13-16 |
This is a holy man of God; let him rest here
One day as Elisha was on his way to Shunem, a woman of rank who lived there pressed him to stay and eat there. After this he always broke his journey for a meal when he passed that way. She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God. Let us build him a small room on the roof, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there.’ One day when he came, he retired to the upper room and lay down. He said to his servant Gehazi, ‘Call our Shunammitess. Tell her this: “Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us, what can we do for you? Is there anything you would like said for you to the king or to the commander of the army?”’ But she replied, ‘I live with my own people about me.’ ‘What can be done for her then?’ he asked. Gehazi answered, ‘Well, she has no son and her husband is old.’ Elisha said, ‘Call her.’ The servant called her and she stood at the door. This time next year,’ he said ‘you will hold a son in your arms.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):2-3,16-19 |
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
For it is you, O Lord, who are the glory of their strength;
by your favour it is that our might is exalted;
for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord;
our king in the keeping of the Holy One of Israel.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Second reading |
Romans 6:3-4,8-11 |
When we were baptised we went into the tomb with Christ, so that we too might live a new life
When we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.
But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 10:37-42 |
Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.
‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.
‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.
‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.’
BE A CHRIST-BEARER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 KGS 4:8-11,13-16; PS 89:2-3,16-19; ROM 6:3-4,8-11; MT 10:37-42]
By virtue of our baptism, St. Paul reminds us that we are baptised into Christ’s death “so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.” Through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, mediated through the Holy Chrism at confirmation, we receive the Messianic gifts delineated in Isaiah: “the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isa 11:2-3). Hence, as baptised Christians, we are “Christified,” and as confirmed Christians, we are appointed to be His ambassadors. We are called to share in the kingly, prophetic, and priestly functions of Christ.
The great responsibility of a Christian is to be identified with Christ in every way. We are called to live in Christ for His Father, just as Christ did. “Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him anymore. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.” We are called to live in such a way that people recognise God in us. We are called to share this newfound life in Christ–a life lived with meaning, purpose, joy, freedom, love, and compassion–with others. In this way, we become so deeply identified with Christ that Jesus could say, “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.”
But how many of us are conscious that we are ambassadors of Christ? The truth is that Christians can either draw people to Christ or drive them away. Through bad examples, many have caused scandals by their actions and words. Catholics are often scandalised by a lack of Christian virtue, misconduct, and insensitivity among the leaders, elders, or fellow Catholics whom they hold in high regard because of their office in the community. Worst of all, some do not show through their workplace behaviour, actions, and words that they are any different from worldly people. Instead, they conduct themselves like pagans: selfish, harsh, aggressive, lacking charity, and becoming involved in gossip, office politics, and dishonest practices. When non-Catholics see us behave this way, they lose faith in Christ. It suggests that our faith is just another religion where we worship God, but our lives contradict what we teach.
Indeed, we should examine our lives and see how many people we have drawn to God versus how many we have driven away. We must ask ourselves: over all these years as Catholics, how many non-Catholics or lapsed Catholics have been brought to Christ by our example? Something is amiss if we have not inspired anyone in our faith after all this time. If we have not brought someone toward conversion, it clearly shows that our faith is not a living faith; worse still, we are acting as counter-witnesses to Christ. Otherwise, there would be people edified by our life of faith who felt encouraged to walk the same path we have trod. This is why there is no middle ground in Christ. We are either for Him or against Him; there is no room for indifference toward the work of evangelisation. Failing to evangelise implies that our faith in Christ is merely a superficial religion or a set of superstitious practices performed out of fear for selfish needs and protection, rather than a genuine pursuit of the new life in Christ.
Truly, Jesus reminds us that we are called to be His prophets, and so we must live holy lives. “Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man because he is a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.” We must live like prophets in our words and actions. This calls for an exemplary lifestyle rooted in faith, serving as a witness to the love of God and service to our neighbours. This was the exact kind of life lived by Elisha and the Shunammite woman. Elisha was a man of deep faith in God who performed many miracles and preached with conviction. Yet, he remained humble in his greatness, never arrogant or self-important. The Shunammite woman also proved to be a woman of faith. Elisha was touched by her kindness; despite her social status, she invited him to stay with her and her husband whenever his mission brought him nearby. She told her husband, “Let us build him a small room on the roof, and put a bed in it for him, and a table and chair and lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there.” This woman put her faith in Elisha because she was perceptive enough to recognise him as a prophet and a true man of God.
A prophet is one who not only speaks words of inspiration and wisdom but also acts in the name of God by performing good deeds and miracles. Elisha was highly sensitive to the needs of this elderly couple. He asked his servant, “What can be done for her then?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.” Elisha said, “Call her.” The servant called her, and she stood at the door. “This time next year,” he said, “you will hold a son in your arms.” Elisha performed miracles and works of mercy. As prophets, we must learn from both Elisha and the woman to do good and extend charity to those who are suffering or in need. We can still perform miracles today by extending help to those who expect nothing from us. As Jesus said, “If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.”
By giving of ourselves, we share the joy of encountering God working through us for others. A prophet’s reward is to see others transformed in Christ so that they, too, may one day become His prophets. Like the psalmist, we can then give thanks to God for our lives and the lives we have uplifted: “I will sing forever of your love, O Lord. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts forever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. Happy the people who acclaim such a king, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who find their joy every day in your name, who make your justice the source of their bliss.” Truly, when we give our lives in service and love to our neighbours–in spite of the heavy demands, sacrifices, and the pain of being misunderstood or used–we still find great joy because we have conquered our selfishness and looked beyond ourselves. This is what the Lord means when He says, “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Finally, as ambassadors of Christ, we must live holy lives; we are called to be men and women of God. St. Peter, writing to newly baptised Christians, said, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'” (1 Pt 1:14-16). Again, he wrote, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pt 1:22). St. Paul, writing to the Romans, urged the Christians to: “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom 12:1-2). This is exactly what it means to consider ourselves “dead to sin.”
The prerequisite for being His ambassador is to be identified with Him and to make Him the centre and focus of our lives. Jesus instructed the Twelve: “Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me.” This calling demands total commitment and an intimate relationship with Him. As long as we are not ready to give ourselves to Him completely, other people or things will take priority. However, if we love Christ first and above all else, everything else falls into its rightful place. The mistake of most Christians is that we place our loved ones, friends, careers, wealth, and pleasures before Christ. For the love of Christ, we must be ready to take up our cross and follow Him, living His life of service and sharing in His joy and love.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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