13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 (version 2)

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A friend of mine recently celebrated her 34th wedding anniversary. She posted a reflection on social media about everything she and her husband had experienced over the past year.

It was quite a list.

A retirement. A job change. Two rehearsal dinners. Two weddings. Buying a new house. Preparing to relocate. Watching their oldest son be ordained a transitional deacon. Selling the family home they had lived in for more than thirty years. Spending long stretches of time living apart while trying to make all of those changes happen.

She admitted there had been difficult days. There had been tears. There were times when everything felt overwhelming.

But then she wrote something that immediately made me think of today's Gospel.

She said, "We have always kept God in the center of our marriage."

Then she added, "We love each other even more now than we did on our wedding day."

When I read those words, I thought of Jesus' startling statement in today's Gospel:

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

Let's be honest. Those words make us uncomfortable.

After all, aren't we supposed to love our families?

Of course we are.

Jesus is not telling us to love our families less. He is telling us to love Him first.

There is a big difference.

My friend and her husband have been married for thirty-four years. The secret to their marriage is not that they love each other more than God. The secret is that they have always tried to put God first.

And because they put God first, they have learned how to love each other better.

That is true not only in marriage. It is true in every relationship.

When Christ is at the center, everything else finds its proper place.

A husband who puts Christ first becomes a better husband.

A wife who puts Christ first becomes a better wife.

Parents who put Christ first become better parents.

Priests who put Christ first become better priests.

Parishes that put Christ first become healthier parishes.

The problem comes when we try to put someone or something else in the place that belongs to God alone.

Sooner or later, every one of us discovers that no human being can carry that weight.

Parents are a gift from God, but they are not God.

Children are a gift from God, but they are not God.

Spouses are a gift from God, but they are not God.

Priests are a gift from God, but they are not God.

Only God can occupy the center of our lives.

That is why Jesus makes such a bold claim. Only God has the right to ask for first place.

Then Jesus takes the lesson even further.

"Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

The world tells us that happiness comes from putting ourselves first.

Jesus tells us that happiness comes from giving ourselves away.

The world says, "Protect yourself."

Jesus says, "Take up your cross."

The world says, "Do whatever makes you happy."

Jesus says, "Follow me."

At first glance, His way sounds harder.

But when we look at the people who have lived faithful and joyful lives, we discover something remarkable. The happiest people are not the ones who spent their lives chasing themselves. They are the ones who spent their lives giving themselves away in love.

They are the husbands and wives who stayed faithful through good times and bad.

They are the parents who sacrificed for their children.

They are the priests and religious who dedicated their lives to the service of God and His people.

They are the disciples who put Christ first.

This weekend our parish family also experiences a time of transition as we prepare to say goodbye to Fr. Carter Pierce and welcome Fr. John Ojuok.

We are grateful for Fr. Carter and all he has done for our parish communities. We pray that God will bless him abundantly in his new assignment. We also look forward to welcoming Fr. John and the gifts he will bring to our parish family.

But today's Gospel reminds us that our faith is not built on a particular priest. Priests come and go. Parish staff come and go. Even parishioners come and go.

Jesus Christ remains.

He is the one who must always be at the center.

My friend said that after thirty-four years of marriage, it still feels like the beginning of something wonderful.

That is what happens when God remains at the center.

Jesus is not asking us to love our families less.

He is asking us to love Him first.

Because when God is first, everything else falls into its proper place, and we discover the life, the joy, and the love we were created for.

Location: Morrisonville, NY, USA

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