13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: THE CROSS IN A CUP OF COLD WATER

Jesus ends today’s Gospel with what seems like a very small request: “Whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” At first, these words seem almost out of place.

Moments earlier, Jesus had spoken about loving Him above father and mother, taking up the cross, losing one’s life for His sake, and the costly demands of discipleship. Suddenly, He concludes by speaking about something as simple as a cup of cold water. But perhaps that is precisely His point. The cross is not carried only on Calvary. More often, the cross fits inside a cup of cold water.

Growing up in my village, I remember walking home from primary school under the scorching African sun. After hours of classes and a spirited game of football with my classmates, we would arrive home exhausted and thirsty. Sometimes, all we longed for was one cup of cold water. It seemed so small, yet at that moment it meant everything. It refreshed us. It gave us life.

Just recently, I visited a family to administer the Last Rites to a dying woman. The family gathered around her, and we prayed. As I was leaving, the son went to the fridge and offered me a bottle of cold water. It was hot. As I entered my car and drank that water, it felt good and calmed my body. The man who gave that water did not know the impact it had on me.

Jesus understands the power of simple acts of love. Before speaking about the cup of water, however, He first confronts His disciples with what I would call the “shock value” of discipleship.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”

“Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

“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.”

These words are not an invitation to love our families less. Rather, they are an invitation to love God first, so that every other love finds its proper place.

In the Jewish world, family defined one’s identity, security, inheritance, and future. A son was expected to continue his father’s trade. To leave one’s family to follow an itinerant rabbi was a radical decision. Peter left his fishing nets. James and John left their father in the boat. Matthew left his tax booth. Jesus was not abolishing family love. He was purifying it.

As Pope Saint John Paul II reminds us in Redemptoris Missio, love for God is the highest priority of the Christian life. Every other love—our love for family, vocation, neighbor, and even ourselves—must flow from this first love. When God is first, every other relationship becomes stronger, freer, and more life-giving (Matt. 6:33). That forms the church's mission.

The cross is not simply suffering. Many people suffer. The Christian cross is suffering embraced out of love while following Christ. Notice that Jesus does not merely say, “Carry your cross.” He says, “Take up your cross and follow me.” Carrying the cross and following Jesus cannot be separated. We follow the One who first carried His cross for us (1 Pet. 2:24). Our burdens become redemptive when they are united with His.

And this is where the cup of cold water suddenly makes perfect sense. Every authentic act of Christian love requires a small death to self. A cup of cold water costs something. It costs time. It costs attention. It costs generosity. It costs inconvenience. Sometimes it costs forgiveness. Sometimes it costs patience. Sometimes it costs giving when we ourselves feel empty. Every act of genuine charity asks us to place another person’s need before our own. That is what the cross looks like in everyday life.

If you have not been watching the current FIFA World Cup hosted by the USA/Canada/Mexico, I would invite you to spare a moment and watch just one match. This is beyond loving soccer or not. Pay attention to how the “cup of water” is passed along in the entire stadium – from the players to the coaches, to the officials, to the fans, and all through the entire stadium. Several moments reveal that we are constantly required to share the cup of water, making small sacrifices in our lives.

The woman of Shunem understood this. The first reading tells us that she recognized Elisha as a holy man of God. She did not simply admire him from a distance. She welcomed him into her home. She convinced her husband to prepare a room for him. She offered him food, rest, and hospitality without expecting anything in return. Her generosity became her “cup of cold water.” It cost her something. She made room for another. Love always asks us to make room. In the end, God rewarded her generosity beyond anything she could have imagined.

The same principle remains true today. Our cup of cold water may not be water at all. It may be listening patiently to a hurting spouse. It may be caring for an aging parent or a spouse with dementia/Alzheimer’s. It may be forgiving someone who never apologized. It may be visiting the sick. It may be encouraging a discouraged friend. It may be remaining faithful to our marriage when love becomes difficult. It may be sacrificing our comfort so that someone else may flourish.

These are not extraordinary acts. They are ordinary acts done with extraordinary love. Saint Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Perhaps that is exactly what Jesus is teaching today. The Kingdom of God is often built not through spectacular miracles but through quiet sacrifices that no one notices except God.

The second reading reminds us that in Baptism we have died and risen with Christ. Every day we are invited to live that baptismal mystery. Every day we die a little to selfishness so that Christ may live more fully in us. Every cup of cold water offered in Christ’s name becomes a participation in His Mighty Cross. Every hidden sacrifice becomes an act of discipleship. Every unnoticed kindness becomes an offering of love.

Perhaps the question we should ask ourselves today is not, “What great thing can I do for God?” Perhaps the better question is, “What is my cup of cold water?” Who is waiting for my kindness? These cups of water require action and prayer: Who needs my forgiveness? Who needs my encouragement? Who needs me to make room for them? The truth is that in the end, the cross is not found only on Calvary. Rather, our journey through life and relationships is our Calvary, especially as we do it for Christ. Sometimes, the cross fits inside a cup of cold water. However small, it will never go unnoticed by God.

Readings: 2 Kings 4:8–11, 14–16; Romans 6:3–4, 8–11; Matthew 10:37–42