Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Things First

Summer has a way of changing our routines. It is hot, people are traveling, schedules become less structured, and life can feel a little more scattered than usual. And sometimes, without even realizing it, this is when God can slowly begin to move further down the list. Not because we stop believing, but because life today constantly competes for our attention. Our phones, work, family responsibilities, politics, the news, entertainment, and social media all seem to demand our focus, each one fighting for first place in our lives.

Into a world like that, Jesus speaks some challenging words in today’s Gospel: “Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” At first, those words can sound harsh, but Jesus is not telling us to love our families less. He is asking us a deeper question: What truly comes first in our lives? And what does it actually mean to say that God comes first?

Putting God first does not mean spending all day in church. It means that before making decisions, we ask not simply what we want, but what God is asking of us. It means that perhaps when we wake up each morning, before reaching for our phone or jumping into the demands of the day, we first acknowledge God. It means that when we deal with other people, we try to respond as Christ asks us to respond. It means that Sunday Mass is not something we attend only when it conveniently fits around everything else.

The truth is that every one of us puts something first. For some people it is money. For others it is success, comfort, or simply themselves. Jesus reminds us today that if He is not first in our lives, then something else has already taken His place. Saint Paul reminds us in the second reading that through baptism we have been given a new life in Christ — not a life where faith is squeezed in only when convenient, but a life where Christ shapes how we live every single day.

So perhaps the question the Lord places before us this weekend is simple: When I look at the choices I make, how I spend my time, and what receives most of my attention, what truly comes first in my life? And after asking that question, maybe I need to ask myself what I am going to do this week to make sure God comes first. Maybe it means beginning each morning with a simple prayer before reaching for my phone. Maybe it means setting aside a few quiet moments each day for God instead of filling every empty moment with noise. Maybe it means being more faithful to Sunday Mass or changing the way I treat the people around me by responding with greater patience, forgiveness, and charity. Because when God truly comes first, everything else in life begins to fall into the place where it belongs.