Today Catholic Christians celebrate the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In the Gospel reading we have today from St. Mark, we hear Jesus tell his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen I say to you, will surely not lose his reward” (Mark 9: 41).
Jesus commands his followers to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, give drink to the thirsty, bury the dead, welcome the stranger, console the sorrowing, and the like, not to “earn salvation,” for salvation is a gift. Nor do we do it to receive a reward, though it is nice to hear Jesus let us know reward is involved. Rather, we engage in serving others because those are Christian commandments.
In today’s photo, we see people receiving help at Clinica Santa Maria, part of the healthcare services offered by our parish, San Francisco de Asis, headquartered in Reitoca, F.M., Honduras.