Readings and meditation on the Word of God on the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 28th, 2026

Delivered by Reinaldy and Margareth from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral and Svara Nirmala and Lukitananda from the Parish of Our Lady of Assumption Mamajang in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 2 Kings 4: 8-11.14-16a; Rs psalm 89: 2-3.16-17.18-19; Romans 6: 3-4.8-11; Matthew 10: 37-42.HAPPY TO CARRY THE CROSS The theme for our meditation today is: Happy to Carrythe Cross. Naturally, we are happy because there are things or happenings thatare good and pleasant. However, the cross is a very shameful and painful thing.The cross signifies the most severe punishment. So if we become happy to carrythe cross, this is an irony. There is a lot of irony and  something doesn't make sense to us aboutJesus Christ. The coming of the Son of God into the world and becoming JesusChrist is beyond our common sense. His choice to obey the Father's will, bycarrying the disgraceful cross and dying on it, cannot enter into our normalunderstanding. He is truly God but He has such a bad reputation. However, Jesus himself had proven that through thecross the best form of love is manifested. The cross is a symbol of sacrificeand suffering that the Lord Jesus had put on us. His own experience is enoughto teach us that we will obtain happiness after bearing our crosses in thisworld. This teaching also suits the understanding of most people in the worldin their belief that there is light after dark, there is success afterstruggle, there is money after working hard. With this concept in mind, it is appropriate for us tohave a positive understanding and attitude about the cross. We are invited onthis Sunday to be happy in carrying out whatever cross we have, however heavyit may be. There are various crosses with different weights. The sins andmistakes we have committed are certainly burdens of the cross itself and theyhave their own weight. They really affect our lives. The cross in the form of sacrifice our personalinterests and doing mortification also have its weight that often makes usdepressed. For example Jesus' command that we should love Him more than our ownparents and brothers and sisters, and that we can lose our lives because webelieve in him, these are obviously heavy crosses that we bear. The command tobe generous and do good, such as welcoming the Lord, a messenger of God, andour neighbors, is also a burden we must bear. Welcoming others, especially the strangers and ourenemies, is also our heavy burden. But in the name of love, we must sacrificeour interests and freedom so we can meet and provide services to them. All ofthis is our cross. And there is a wise advice for us is that we should be happywith these crosses. Let'spray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus, may the celebration of thisSunday give us encouragement to happily carry our crosses. Our Father who artin heaven ... In the name of the Father ...