A: 13th Sun of Ord Time (28 June 2020) - A WELCOME AMIDST THE LOCKDOWN (Mt 10:37-42)

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Mt 10:40).

This statement of Jesus is part of his message to his disciples as they go to the missions. It is a general admission of the fact that God is present everywhere at all times in any person, viz., in a missionary, in a stranger, or even in a host. Whereas God’s omniscience was revealed in last Sunday’s gospel, today’s gospel infers his divine ubiquity connoting that God and his graces and blessings are received every time love and charity are shared by persons. This is confirmed in Jesus’ avowal later in the so-called Final judgment: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40).

Incidentally, tomorrow (June 29), we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, when we encounter the gospel where Jesus remarked to Peter: “I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19). Interesting here is the use of the analogy of “keys” that can both lock and unlock something. On the one hand, Peter’s so-called keys can bind something—but this binding is not necessarily comprehended as locking up something since it can refer also to tying a knot (cf. Mt 21:2a) or joining together into bundles (cf. Mt 13:30). On the other hand, these keys can also loosen, which can be read, too, as to break free (cf. Mt 5:19) or to untie something (cf. Mt 21:2b). But the crux here is that Jesus entrusts to Peter the mission of keeping heaven’s door always opened to those who persevere to enter it, and not the contrary. As the main guardian, Peter must be a rock of encouragement to God’s assembly (literal meaning of “ekklesia” or “church”), giving hope to the faithful that heaven is reachable and is not shut outright to those who sin and fail in life. Thus, heaven is never locked down since it is received freely by people who believe and hope. Heaven, rather, is always a welcoming abode.

In our current situation of pandemic, the word “lockdown” has become a staple word. It is interchangeably used with “quarantine” to refer to the closure of the public streets lest COVID-19 is uncontrollably spread in the open. While such a measure is laudable in battling the crisis, locking down should not be done irresponsibly to the point that the poor have nothing to eat or the sick and elderly are not anymore attended to. Sadly, this scenario is noticeable especially in Third World countries as the daily sustenance and survival of the most vulnerable members of the society are often overlooked and ignored. While the efforts to contain the virus is of optimal concern, government leaders should not sweep under the rag the basic problems of hunger, shelter, health, well-being, livelihood, and survival of majority of the population.

Forced to comply with imposed anti-poor measures, the general population should not be blamed in concluding that lockdowns favor the rich and the privileged more than anyone else. Indeed, blessed are those who have comfortable houses with big refrigerators, air-conditioners, wi-fi, Netflix, water, electricity, and spacious living quarters for they can observe social distancing in an enhanced community quarantine. But how about the have-nots of society?

I pray that the societal doors are opened that they may survive. There is no excuse in neglecting to care for them since we always carry the very keys to unlock God’s love and compassion. Fittingly, the last lines of our gospel today remind us of this fact: “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” (Mt 10:42). May we always view keys that welcome, not that lock.

- Rex Fortes, CM