SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Jesus Our Host and Guest
How hospitable to people are we in reality? How many people are there about whom we say: I will never allow this person to set foot in my home? And when people are my guests, do I just fuss about them, stuffing them with all sorts of good things but having no time to listen to them? Let’s look at our host Jesus in this Eucharist and listen to what he says about hospitality.
First Reading: Genesis 18:1-10a
God appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. It was the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing. He ran from his tent to greet them and bowed before them.
He said, “Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I’ll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I’ll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path.”
They said, “Certainly. Go ahead.”
Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. He said, “Hurry. Get three cups of our best flour; knead it and make bread.”
Then Abraham ran to the cattle pen and picked out a nice plump calf and gave it to the servant who lost no time getting it ready. Then he got curds and milk, brought them with the calf that had been roasted, set the meal before the men, and stood there under the tree while they ate.
The men said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
He said, “In the tent.”
One of them said, “I’m coming back about this time next year. When I arrive, your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Second Reading: Colossians 1:24-28
I want you to know how glad I am that it’s me sitting here in this jail and not you. There’s a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church’s part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God’s way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
Gospel: Luke 10:38-42
As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”
The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”
Prayer
Our loving God and Father,
you have invited us to stay with you,
to listen to the message of Jesus your Son
and to accept from him your peace and love.
May we welcome him wholeheartedly
and learn from him to welcome him too
in people who appeal to us
for forgiveness and a bit of warmth,
for patience and hope and joy.
Let them not pass your servants by.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reflection:
17 July 2022
Luke 10:38-42
Apostolic commitments without the Word of God is meaningless
Today’s Gospel presents the story of Martha and Mary. From the Gospel of John, we know that this was a family of three siblings – Martha, Mary and Lazarus and their house was in Bethany. Today’s episode speaks of Martha, who felt annoyed with her sister Mary for not helping her with the household chores and she complaints about her to Jesus.
The Gospel stresses on the significance of being at the feet of the Master to listen to him – to listen to the Word of God – before we get engrossed in our missionary commitments and activities. However, the passage has a much deeper meaning, and Luke expected his Community to take note of the social change and spiritual renewal that Jesus intends to bring about.
Today’s Gospel says that Jesus and his disciples were on their way, together, and a woman called Martha welcomed Jesus to her house. But how about the disciples? Were they not welcomed by Martha?
When the authors of the gospels introduced the family of the siblings, they only spoke of the brother and the sisters. They did not mention about parents, spouses or children. The family in Bethany represents the Christian community of brothers and sisters. That is why Luke does not mention the disciples entering the house. They are the hosts of the Lord.
In Jewish culture, the men of the family welcomed and took care of the guests while the women remained inside the house and would not appear before the guests. But, with Jesus, Luke presents a role reversal. There is no distinction between men and women in the world of Jesus.
The second sister, “Mary sat down at the Lord’s feet to listen to his words” (v. 39). “Sitting at the feet” of a master was an expression that indicated the act of a disciple learning from a rabbi. Here Luke presents Mary as a disciple who learns from the Master. Once again, in Jewish culture, no rabbi would accept women as their students. However, Jesus changes the existing world order.
It is the beginning of the new world: all the prejudices and discriminations are denounced and overcome by Jesus. Luke mentions this incident as a lesson of catechesis to Christian communities of the past and today. There are many people of goodwill who dedicate themselves to the service of Christ and the brothers and sisters. They are generous with their time, effort, and money. Yet even in this intense and generous activity, there lurks a danger: they consider listening to the Word of God as something secondary.
When the Word of God does not guide our apostolic commitment, communitarian choices, and pastoral projects, they lead us to anxiety, confusion, and nervousness, just like that of Martha.
Video available on Youtube: Apostolic commitments without the Word of God is meaningless