Pastor's Reflection - July 12, 2026

Putting God First

Our Scripture readings this weekend speak of the necessity of dying to ourselves and taking up our cross. Without the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, this teaching can seem harsh. For those growing toward spiritual maturity, it is foundational to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

What the Lord is actually teaching us is that God must come first in our lives, not be a secondary consideration. I remember reading a warning years ago about this perennial temptation:

“The germ of all temptation is setting God aside, so that he seems to be a secondary concern compared with the urgent priorities of our lives. To consider ourselves and the needs and desires of the moment more important than he is—that is the temptation that always besets us. In doing so, we deny God his divinity, and we make ourselves, or rather the powers that threaten us, into our god.” (Pope Benedict XVI, On the Way to Jesus Christ, p. 86)

We live in a society filled with idols, things that try to crowd out and replace our relationship with God. The widespread attempt to make faith merely a private, unimportant matter within our secularized society has ushered in many vices, dysfunctions, and chaos. We especially see these destructive effects within our families.

When the Lord is first in our lives, the Holy Spirit orders and directs us toward the goal of love of God and love of neighbor. The first reading shows how putting someone else’s needs first (Elisha the prophet) brought the blessing of a child.

Hospitality is a vital part of our Christian faith; making people feel loved and welcomed is the first step in sharing our faith with them. Taking up our cross in the modern world means laying down our cell phones and busy schedules and actively praying in the Holy Spirit for opportunities to be present to the Lord, who helps us be present to ourselves and to others.

Many of Jesus’ teachings initially sound harsh because we hear them in the flesh and not in the Spirit. When we hear and obey them, our lives bear spiritual fruit, and healing and redemption are furthered in our world today.

Have a blessed week!

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop, Pastor