13 July 2026 – Monday of the 15th week – even-numbered year
Isaiah 1:10–17; Matthew 10:34–11:1
H O M E L Y
This Gospel reading is somewhat puzzling – as the Gospel often is. The final part, concerning welcoming others, and in particular welcoming Christ’s messenger, is reassuring and easy to understand. The central part of the text, however, which states, ‘Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me’, is more difficult to understand. It is as though there were a competition between the two kinds of love. Yet this does not fit with the image of God that Jesus usually presents to us.