13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (2023)

Mass Readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

• First Reading – 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16A: “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 89: “Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.”
• Second Reading – Romans 6:3-4, 8-11: “Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”
• Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Themes for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time encourage us to make our relationship with God first in all we do. The first reading recounts how a woman provided hospitality to Elisha and was rewarded for her generosity. The psalm reminds us that all of the good things in our lives come from God. And in the gospel Jesus tells us that we must stop clinging to our own self-interests in order to follow him.

• Discipleship
• Redemption
• Sacrifice
• Service to others
• Generosity

See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

What Is My Cross? Lesson Plan on Dying to Self

This lesson plan on dying to self helps teens understand what it means to “take up your cross” and gives them some concrete ideas of how they can do this.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

The Corporal Works of Mercy are acts of charity which show our love for those on the margins. There are many ways to implement these in your family, parish, youth ministry, or youth group. Here are some ideas.

No Fear of Death

From Bishop Robert Barron. In our second reading for this week, St. Paul reminds the Christian community in Rome that baptism means an immersion into the dying of the Lord. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he had similarly told his followers that every Eucharist is a participation in the dying of Christ. Why this preoccupation with death?

Carry Our Cross

Jeff Cavins reflects on what happened to Jesus will happen to his followers. Christ had to carry his cross and so we too, are called to pick up our cross and follow him. It means we will have die to ourselves. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.”

To Find Our Lives

From Scott Hahn. The Liturgy this week continues to instruct us in the elements of discipleship. We’re told that even the most humble among us have a share in the mission Christ gives to His Church. We’re not all called to the ministry of the Apostles, or to be prophets like Elisha in today’s First Reading. But each of us is called to a holy life.

Elisha and the Shunemite Woman

Also from Bishop Barron. Our first reading for this weekend is taken from the marvelous second book of Kings, and it deals with the prophet Elisha, who was the chosen successor of the prophet Elijah. The narrative is, on one level, very simple and charming, but it also presents a kind of icon of the relationship between priests and their people.

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

Romans 6:8