June 28, 2026: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 10: 40-42
Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Everyone who has ever been a stranger and felt welcomed by another knows the importance of being welcomed. It eases our potential anxiety at being a newcomer and makes us know that we belong.
All of us know what it’s like to be a newcomer to a group, to a different neighborhood, to a new work environment, and feel the unsteadiness of not knowing whether we fit in. Feeling that we belong is an integral part of the human experience; it helps us to know that we are accepted and important.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is in the process of sending his disciples out to do His work in the world – important work that involves changing hearts and bringing people to God. And he is encouraging the disciples that others’ welcoming of them is important. Jesus is offering encouragement to His disciples that “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me” (Mt 10: 40a), thus reminding them of the importance of their actions and words done in His name. Jesus emphasizes to his disciples that they are truly his representatives on earth; that their ministry is a continuation of His ministry to the poor, the sick and the downtrodden.
Being welcomed was especially important in the early days of the disciples’ ministry, when to preach in Jesus’ name meant potential persecution and even death. I imagine there were many times, especially in these early days when Jesus is first sending the disciples out to do His work, that they felt discouraged and overwhelmed. Here, Jesus is trying to encourage them to “hold on” to even the smallest acts of kindness done to them, as these acts are important and signify others’ acceptance of their message.
2000 years later, we are the “little ones” trying to witness to Jesus’ message of love and inclusivitiy. There might be times when we feel unwelcomed, and times when we think that what we say doesn’t matter. We need to hold on to the knowledge that, just as Jesus called the disciples to do His work, we too are called to bring about a new order where kindness prevails and there is no place for hatred. We are Jesus’ hands and feet in a world that sorely needs to know that all lives matter, and that we are all important and cherished by God.