Relationships of Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept the nature of Love which is most available to all when it is activated by our relationship with Christ.

Love and Life

The Reading from the Second Book of Kings presents the connection between Elisha and the Shunammite’s Son.

b. [4:10] 1 Kgs 17:9.

c. [4:16] Gn 18:9–15. (2 Kings, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 89 laments the defeat of the Davidic king.

* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). (Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB, n.d.)

 

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans connects Freedom from Sin and Life in God.

* [6:1–11] To defend the gospel against the charge that it promotes moral laxity (cf. Rom 3:5–8), Paul expresses himself in the typical style of spirited diatribe. God’s display of generosity or grace is not evoked by sin but, as stated in Rom 5:8 is the expression of God’s love, and this love pledges eternal life to all believers (Rom 5:21). Paul views the present conduct of the believers from the perspective of God’s completed salvation when the body is resurrected and directed totally by the holy Spirit. Through baptism believers share the death of Christ and thereby escape from the grip of sin. Through the resurrection of Christ the power to live anew becomes reality for them, but the fullness of participation in Christ’s resurrection still lies in the future. But life that is lived in dedication to God now is part and parcel of that future. Hence anyone who sincerely claims to be interested in that future will scarcely be able to say, “Let us sin so that grace may prosper” (cf. Rom 6:1). (Romans, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents some Conditions of Discipleship.

* [10:38] The first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens.

* [10:39] One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Amy Turbes shares her relationship with God is lived through others

 

As is the case with most of humanity, I live among people. If I focus all of my attention and love on one person or group of people, then I am forgetting that God is the love at the center. Jesus is inviting me to know and accept God’s unconditional love so nothing else is more important. That love can be witnessed in the relationships I have with others. If God’s love is the spring from which all my love flows then all of my thoughts, words, and actions can come from that love. Christ’s words are an invitation for me to put God first and to accept the patience, compassion and love while sharing it with others. (Turbes, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “A well-ordered love,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"See how great is the impairment to those who have an exaggerated love for their own life. And how great is the blessing to those who are ready to give up their lives for a well-ordered love! So he bids his disciples to be willing to give up parents, children, natural relationships, kinships, the world and even their own lives. How onerous are these injunctions! But then he immediately sets forth the greater blessings of rightly ordered love. Thus these instructions, Jesus says, are so far from harming that they in fact are of greatest benefit. It is their opposites that injure. He then counsels them, as he so often does, in accord with the very desires that they already possess. Why should you be willing to give up your life? Only because you love it inordinately. So for the very reason of loving it ordinately, you will scorn loving it inordinately, and so it will be to your advantage to the highest degree. You will then in the truest sense love your life. Jesus does not reason in this way only in the case of the love of parents or children. He teaches the same with regard to your very life, which is nearest to you of all." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 35.2) (Chrysostom & Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:37-42 comments that Jesus' disciples understood that Jesus was telling them to be willing to give up everything to follow him and witness to him—even their lives, if necessary. It’s not so different from what Jesus had said just before this: whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than him is not worthy of him (Matthew 10:37). Even important family ties must be second to our commitment to Jesus.

This is not an easy message. But consider who is asking it of us. Jesus is not merely a teacher or philosopher. He’s not simply a compassionate wonder-worker or dedicated advocate for the poor. He is God himself. Of course we should have nothing above God in our lives!

Consider also that the One who asks this of us lived out this command perfectly. He humbled himself and laid down his life to free us from sin and death and restore us to the Father. How could we respond with anything less?

Today, hear Jesus’ demanding call. Ask him for the grace to follow him wholeheartedly.

“Jesus, I embrace this hard saying. Help me to put you first in every area of my life.” (Meditation on Matthew 10:37-42, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today. In the passage from 2 Kings, the story of Elisha, a disciple of Elijah, has a relationship with a woman of influence who cares for him. Elisha is grateful and he promises a child to the woman. This emphasizes the importance of hospitality and gratitude. The text of Romans 6 speaks of life and death in terms of keeping the commandments or dying in sin. We are called to die to sin and live to the commandments. We belong to Christ by living His life. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' disciples are instructed to leave everything to take up their crosses. Friar Jude compares the difference in language about leaving mother and father in Matthew and in Luke where “hate” your parents is a characteristic of the Aramaic language that expresses decisions in extreme forms. Our service of God has to be total even to separate us from the ones we love. Jesus knows many would be rejected by family. We have to have Christ at the centre of our life. Friar Jude notes that giving to those in need in His name is a form of prayer that is lifted to the heavens . When we serve the poor it is a form of prayer of action. We reach out and become instruments of God’s love.

 Father Richard Rohr invites us to accept with humility that we are chosen by God. Paul also says that "chosenness" is for the sake of experiencing mercy (see Romans 11:30–31). Ancient Israel’s "chosenness" is not so they can feel superior and saved, which is where immature religion always stops. Rather, Paul says very clearly that we experience "chosenness" so that we can know what it feels like to be God’s beloved and experience God’s mercy.

I think religion is the best thing and the worst thing. It can create the most narrow-minded, petty, self-protective, racist people who stop at that first stage of: “We’ve got it right. We’re elect. We’re chosen.” But their faith really hasn’t transformed them, so they don’t know how to communicate "chosenness" to anyone else. Without a love relationship with God, religion doesn’t keep us moving or growing. It doesn’t keep transforming. It becomes a sideshow for elitism, that’s all.

The biblical tradition begins with "chosenness" for a few, but it always moves toward egalitarian "chosenness" for everyone. And the only people who are equipped to communicate the inclusivity and the boundless abundance of God are people who first experience that boundless abundance in themselves. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are inspired by the Spirit to live in the depth of love and service in which we are invited to exercise our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

References

Chrysostom, J., & Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Reading. He Who Loves Father and Mother More Than Me Is Not Worthy of Me. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?37 

Meditation on Matthew 10:37-42. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/28/1601859/ 

Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Called and Sent. CAC.org. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/https://cac.org/daily-meditations/called-and-sent/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/6? 

Turbes, A. (2026, June 28). Daily Reflection June 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-28-2026 

2 Kings, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2kings/4? 

The Word of Healing

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to retrieve from our lamentation over our losses the call to be a word of hope to fellow travelers both grand and little.

Healing and Hope

The Reading from the Book of Lamentations presents The Lord’s Wrath and Zion’s Ruin.

* [2:11] My eyes are spent with tears, my stomach churns: the poet appropriates the emotional language used by Zion in 1:16 and 1:20 to express a progressively stronger commitment to her cause. After describing the systematic dismantling of the city in vv. 5–9, the poet turns to the plight of the inhabitants in vv. 10–12. It is the description of children dying in the streets that finally brings about the poet’s emotional breakdown, even as it did for Zion in 1:16.

* [2:13] To what can I compare you…?: the author calls attention to the poetic task: to find language that speaks adequately of the atrocities and incomparable suffering experienced by Zion, and thus to attempt to offer comfort. (Lamentations, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

 Psalm 74 is a lament sung when the enemy invaded the Temple.

* [Psalm 74] A communal lament sung when the enemy invaded the Temple; it would be especially appropriate at the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Israel’s God is urged to look upon the ruined sanctuary and remember the congregation who worshiped there (Ps 74:1–11). People and sanctuary are bound together; an attack on Zion is an attack on Israel. In the second half of the poem, the community brings before God the story of their origins—their creation (Ps 74:12–17)—in order to move God to reenact that deed of creation now. Will God allow a lesser power to destroy the divine project (Ps 74:18–23)? (Psalms, PSALM 74 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents Healing of a Centurion’s Servant and Cure of Peter’s Mother-in-Law.

* [8:5] A centurion: a military officer commanding a hundred men. He was probably in the service of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee; see note on Mt 14:1.

* [8:8–9] Acquainted by his position with the force of a command, the centurion expresses faith in the power of Jesus’ mere word.

* [8:10] In no one in Israel: there is good textual attestation (e.g., Codex Sinaiticus) for a reading identical with that of Lk 7:9, “not even in Israel.” But that seems to be due to a harmonization of Matthew with Luke.

* [8:11–12] Matthew inserts into the story a Q saying (see Lk 13:28–29) about the entrance of Gentiles into the kingdom and the exclusion of those Israelites who, though descended from the patriarchs and members of the chosen nation (the children of the kingdom), refused to believe in Jesus. There will be wailing and grinding of teeth: the first occurrence of a phrase used frequently in this gospel to describe final condemnation (Mt 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). It is found elsewhere in the New Testament only in Lk 13:28.

* [8:14–15] Cf. Mk 1:29–31. Unlike Mark, Matthew has no implied request by others for the woman’s cure. Jesus acts on his own initiative, and the cured woman rises and waits not on “them” (Mk 1:31) but on him.

* [8:16] By a word: a Matthean addition to Mk 1:34; cf. 8:8.

* [8:17] This fulfillment citation from Is 53:4 follows the MT, not the LXX. The prophet speaks of the Servant of the Lord who suffers vicariously for the sins (“infirmities”) of others; Matthew takes the infirmities as physical afflictions. (Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Rashmi Fernando, SJ, comments that the Gospel today is a reminder that Christ’s mission is always to heal, restore, and give life. He enters our fears, our wounds, our anxieties, our disappointments, and our brokenness. He still bears our infirmities and carries our burdens.

Perhaps the Lord is inviting us today to become like the centurion: humble enough to admit our need, compassionate enough to care for others, and trusting enough to believe that one word from Christ can change everything.

 

Three questions to ponder:

1.    In what areas of my life have I limited God’s power to my own expectations, assumptions, or understanding?

2.    In what areas of my life do I feel called to approach Jesus with the humility, trust, and faith of the centurion, recognizing my deep need for His grace and healing?

3.    Who is the “servant” in my life today—a family member, friend, colleague, stranger, or even an enemy—for whom I am called to intercede, care, and pray with humility, compassion, and faith? (Fernando, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When the Lord promised to go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, the centurion answered, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.' By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the Master of humility both by word and example sat down also in the house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon, and though he sat down in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart the Son of Man could not lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). (excerpt from SERMON 62.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 8:5-17 comments that the faith of this Gentile amazed Jesus! It was simple and sure, just the kind of faith that God was looking for. And it’s a great example for us. We don’t have to prove our worthiness in order to come to Jesus with our needs.

So let’s bring our needs before Jesus today with the kind of faith that the centurion showed—a faith that amazed and pleased Jesus. Let’s approach the Lord in humility, knowing that we can’t come to him on our own merit. But let’s also come with the confidence that a mere word from Jesus has the power to move mountains.

“Lord, though I am not worthy, I trust in your power and your love. Say the word, and heal me and those for whom I pray.” (Meditation on Matthew 8:5-17, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today In Lamentations, a section that laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the sufferings the people undergo. We don’t have to hide our emotions but like the Jews we want God to be part of our sufferings . Our devotion to the Sacred is God seeing that our hearts are broken. The centurion does not have to require Jesus to come to his home This is a gracious act as Jesus would be considered unclean. The Centurion knows the word will heal that servant. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew becomes a taunt and Matthew cites Isaiah to show how Jesus took away our infirmities and bore our diseases. The belief in One God means God has to be the God of all nations and Jesus fulfills this proclamation in His healing of the centurion’s servant.

Richard Rohr introduces Dr. Luther E. Smith Jr. who describes how singing as a spiritual practice can enable us to embody hope. Dr. Smith comments that Howard Thurman’s meditation “I Will Sing a New Song” builds on the Psalm 40 phrase “He [God] put a new song in my mouth,” which describes the creative response persons “must” make when previous understandings and efforts have proven deficient. In part it reads:

I will sing a new song

I must learn the new song for the new needs.

I must fashion new words born of all the new growth

            of my life—of my mind—of my spirit. [1]

The meditation names a faithful response to hope—a response that births faithful hopefulness. Singing a new song is both a means to and a sign of personal transformation. Transformation to God-centered hopefulness and beloved community is hope’s enlivening purpose…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the richness of human culture through which the Spirit is invoked to join our lamentation in the songs and music that help carry us through hope to faith and love.

References

Fernando, R. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-27-2026 

Lamentations, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/lamentations/2? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?5 

Meditation on Matthew 8:5-17. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/27/1601158/ 

Psalms, PSALM 74 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/74?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/hope-in-hard-times-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Say the Word and My Servant Will Be Healed. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

 

Conflict and Cleansing

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the paths we walk that we did not choose as we struggle for restoration of health.

Hope in the Journey to Health

The Reading from the Second Book of Kings describes breaching of the city walls.

* [25:3] Ninth day of the month: the text does not say which month, but Jer 39:2 and 52:6 set the breaching of the city walls in the fourth month; in later times that was the date of a fast commemorating the event (cf. Zec 8:19). People of the land: the influential citizens (see note on 11:14); even they, whose resources went beyond those of the ordinary people, were starving.

* [25:4] The Hebrew text of this verse is missing some words. The present translation is based on a likely reconstruction.

* [25:11] Those who had deserted: perhaps on the advice of Jeremiah; cf. Jer 38:2–3. (2 Kings, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 137 presents difficulty to sing the people’s sacred songs in an alien land.

* [Psalm 137] A singer refuses to sing the people’s sacred songs in an alien land despite demands from Babylonian captors (Ps 137:1–4). The singer swears an oath by what is most dear to a musician—hands and tongue—to exalt Jerusalem always (Ps 137:5–6). The Psalm ends with a prayer that the old enemies of Jerusalem, Edom and Babylon, be destroyed (Ps 137:7–9). (Psalms, PSALM 137 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the Cleansing of a Leper.

 

[8:2] A leper: see note on Mk 1:40.

* [8:4] Cf. Lv 14:2–9. That will be proof for them: the Greek can also mean “that will be proof against them.” It is not clear whether them refers to the priests or the people. (Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley reflects on our conflict in the prayer phrase “Thy Will Be Done”.  

We will ask and accept whatever the answer with the acceptance that the outcome is what it should be.  I may not always understand (or like) the outcome at the time or even ever, yet I always knew on some level it was meant to be. 

This idea of unanswered prayers is sometimes difficult to accept in the short term but inevitably turns out to be exactly what it should. It is challenging to accept some of the events that happen to us or to others. Sometimes it seems unfathomable that some things are “allowed” to happen.  How can an all-powerful God allow such evil to happen? I certainly don’t have an answer but I do know that everything that has happened to me, shaped me and led me to decisions that were exactly what I should do or where I should be. That doesn’t mean there weren’t times when I felt broken by the circumstances yet truly I would/could say, God has never let me down before and I have no reason to believe that He will now. (Shirley, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The authority to heal and make clean belongs to Christ,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

"With great fervor before Jesus' knees, the leper pleaded with him (Mark 1:40) with sincere faith. He discerned who Jesus was. He did not state conditionally, 'If you request it of God' or 'If you pray for me.' Rather, he said simply, 'If you will, you can make me clean.' He did not pray, 'Lord, cleanse me.' Rather, he leaves everything to the Lord and makes his own recovery depend entirely on him. Thus he testified that all authority belongs to him. One might ask, 'What if the leper had been mistaken in this assumption?' If he had been mistaken, wouldn't it have been fitting for the Lord to reprove him and set him straight? But did he do this? No. Quite to the contrary, Jesus established and confirmed exactly what he had said." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.1) (Schwager, D. n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 8:1-4 comments that this story reminds us that we are all like this poor man. We are all “diseased” because of our sins. They burden us, separate us from God, and isolate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ. But like this man, we have received God’s overflowing grace! Jesus died to cleanse us from every sin. We have new life in him, and he is now asking us to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Every time you celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you relive this Gospel story. You enter the confessional like the sick man, afflicted with sin but turning to Jesus for help and healing. And every time you confess your sins, he cleanses and heals you. Now you are free! You can “go show yourself” to the people around you (Matthew 8:4). By your witness of humility, joy, and peace, you can help them see what Jesus has done for you—and they will be moved to seek out the Lord for themselves!

“Thank you, Lord, for forgiving my sin! Help me tell the world what you have done for me.” (Meditation on Matthew 8:1-4, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today

Brian McLaren suggests that love can serve as a deep source of hope that is not dependent on outcome.

To put it differently, even if we lose hope for a good outcome, we need not lose hope of being good people, as we are able: courageous, wise, kind, loving, “in defiance of all that is bad around us.” [1] … 

We feel arising within us this sustained declaration: We will live as beautifully, bravely, and kindly as we can as long as we can, no matter how ugly, scary, and mean the world becomes, even if failure and death seem inevitable. In fact, it is only in the context of failure and death that this virtue develops. That’s why Richard Rohr describes this kind of hope as “the fruit of a learned capacity to suffer wisely and generously. You come out much larger and that largeness becomes your hope.” [2]

We seek the consolation of the Spirit when the situation of our journey seems to lead in a direction that defies our understanding and makes hope our Way to maintain our faith and ultimate healing of our wounds.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?1 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). The Prime Motive of Love. CAC.org. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-prime-motive-of-love/ 

Meditation on Matthew 8:1-4. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/26/1600610/ 

Psalms, PSALM 137 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/137? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lord, You Can Make Me Clean. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Shirley, N. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-26-2026 

2 Kings, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2kings/25?