The scripture of today’s Mass reminds us of how central Jesus is to our lives, how our relationship with Jesus must transcend all other aspects of our lives, and how this relationship influences the way we live.
In his letter to the nascent Christian community in Rome (Romans 6:3-11), St. Paul emphasizes how our Baptism into Christ allows us to rise above our sinfulness, enter into relationship with Jesus, achieve a “newness of life”, and like Jesus, live our lives for God.
In today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:37-42), Jesus instructs us that our relationship with Him must supersede all else – all other relationships, all other ambitions and goals, all other cares and concerns. But Jesus also reminds us of the implication of putting Him first in our lives – that to put Him first means to put others before ourselves. Indeed, Jesus reminds us that to place Him at the center of our lives means that we must extend ourselves to all others we encounter as we see Christ in them. As we extend ourselves to others with the same love, mercy, compassion, and kindness that Jesus extended to others, we allow Christ to reign in our hearts and rule our lives.
So we go forward, with Jesus at the center of our lives, encountering Him in all those we extend ourselves to, and serving him by serving others.