First Reading (Genesis 18: 1-10)
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, he said: "Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree. Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way."
The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said."
Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."
He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. Then Abraham got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared, and set these before the three men; and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.
They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
He replied, "There in the tent."
One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 15: 2-5)
Refrain: He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
1) One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue. (Refrain:)
2) Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the Lord. (Refrain:)
3) Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things shall never be disturbed. (Refrain:)
Second Reading (Colossians 1: 24-28)
Brothers and sisters: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
(Copyright 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright 1970, 1997, 1998 Contraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
The English translation of some Psalm responses, some Alleluia and Gospel verses and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, some Summaries, and the Titles and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass copyright 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc., Washington D.C. All rights reserved.
The poetic English translation of the sequences of the Roman Missal are taken from the Roman Missal approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, copyright 1964 by the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Inc. All rights reserved.)
(Text from: Lectionary for Mass, Copyright 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; copyright 1969, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission of ICEL.)
-The Clash of Temperaments, from The Gospel of Luke. Copyright 1975 by William Barclay. Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- The Privilege and the Task from The Letter to the Colossians. Copyright 1975 by William Barclay. Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland.
-Abraham and Sarah: A Golden Jubilee. From Timely Homilies, pp. 148-151, copyright 1990 by William J. Bausch. Twenty-third Publications, Mystic, CT.
- Perfect Hostess or Perfect Disciple? By Walter J. Burghardt, S.J. From Speak the Word with Boldness, pp. 104-106. Copyright 1994 by the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ.
- Catechism: #'s 2725-2728 (the struggle to pray). Copyright 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Washington, DC. [As recommended in A Homily Sourcebook (The Universal Catechism), copyright 1993 by N. Abeyasingha, the Pastoral Press, Washington, DC.]
- Celebrating the Word, pp.225-227, copyright 1995 by J. D. Crichton, Columba Press, Dublin. Distributed in the US by Twenty-third Publications, Mystic, CT.
- The Cultural World of Jesus, pp. 106-108. Copyright 1997 by John J. Pilch, the Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
- Days of the Lord, Volume 6, pp. 130-137. Copyright 1991 by the Order of Saint Benedict. The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
-Sister Act. From Dynamic Preaching, copyright 1998 by Seven Worlds Corporation, 310 Simmons Road, Knoxville, TN, 37922.
- Footprints on the Mountain, pp. 492-496, by Roland J. Faley. Copyright 1994 by the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ.
- Entertaining the Word, from Good News. Copyright 1998 by Rev. Joseph T. Nolan. Liturgical Publications, Inc., 2875 South James Drive, New Berlin, WI. 53151.
- The Gospel of the Lord, pp.146-147, copyright 1991 by Francis J. Moloney, the Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
- Sour Milk: Overcoming A Bad Attitude, from He Still Moves Stones, pp. 55-62, copyright 1993 by Max Lucado. Word Publishing, Dallas, TX.
-Homilies for the Christian People, pp. 500-501, by Carla Mae Streeter, O.P. Copyright 1989 by Pueblo Publishing Company, New York, New York and 1991 by the Order of St. Benedict, Collegeville, MN. The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
- Interpretation (A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching): Luke, by Fred B. Craddock, pp. 151-152. Copyright 1990 by John Knox Press, Louisville, KY.
- The Better Part. From Like Fresh Bread, pp. 234-237, copyright 1993 by Robert P. Waznak, S.S., Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ.
-Living the Word, p.194, copyright 1996 by Tom Clancy. The Columba Press, Dublin, Ireland. Distributed in the US by Twenty-third Publications, Mystic, CT.
- Preaching the Lectionary, pp. 487-489, by Reginald H. Fuller. Copyright 1984 by the Order of St. Benedict. the Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
-Sing a New Song, p. 230-231 (Psalm15), by Irene Nowell. Copyright 1993 by the Order of St. Benedict. The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
-Sunday Homilies, pp. 290-292, copyright 1995 by Liam Swords. Twenty-third Publications, Mystic, CT 06355.
- Texts for Preaching (Proper 11), pp.429-438, by Cousar, Gaventa, McCann and Newsome, copyright 1994 by Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY.
-Voicing a Thought on Sunday: Homilies and Prayers of the Faithful, pp. 342-343, copyright 1991 by Desmond Knowles. Twenty-third Publications, Mystic, CT.
- The Word In and Out of Season, pp. 55-57, copyright 1991 by Richard Viladesau. Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ.
(I removed the following first few paragraphs of the homily which follows due to its length and because I also wanted to use the illustration which came from Larry Warren. His homily is called When You Are Anxious About Many Things and can be found elsewhere on this page. I may well use this excerpted portion the next time around the lectionary and develop it into its own homily.)
In our first reading today, we heard how Abraham welcomed the three strangers. Although Abraham did not know that they were God and two angels in human form at first, he still greets them with the utmost hospitality. Then, while they are eating the meal that he has prepared, they ask about his wife, Sarah. When he tells them that she is in the tent, God promises Abraham that they will have a son before he returns the same time the following year.
What we don't hear in our lectionary reading is that Sarah overhears this conversation and laughs to herself at the absurdity of the possibility that she could bear a child after years of being childless and at the age of ninety. Then the book of Genesis gives us this wonderful exchange between God and Sarah. "The Lord said to Abraham: 'Why did Sarah laugh and say "Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?" Is there anything too marvelous for the Lord to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.'"
I can just imagine Abraham shrugging his shoulders as if to ask "Why ask me? Ask her yourself." And Sarah must have come out of the tent and into the presence of the strangers because then we read the following verse: "Because she was afraid, Sarah denied everything, saying 'I didn't laugh'. But the Lord said: 'Oh yes you did!' I can just see the stranger shaking his finger at her in a chiding way. I think we would be hard pressed to find anywhere in the Bible a more humorous and tender exchange between God and one of his creatures than this one between God and Sarah.
To help us understand this event, we also need to know that in the preceding chapter of Genesis, God appears to Abraham and, after establishing the covenant of circumcision with him, tells him that he and Sarah shall have a son. Upon hearing this, Abraham falls to the ground and "laughs", saying "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?" God insists that it will happen and that when the child is born, he shall be named Isaac.
So both Abraham and Sarah laughed when they heard the news that she was to bear a son. So we might ask why God didn't take offense at such disbelief. After all, John the Baptist's father Zachariah was struck dumb because of his doubt. And Moses didn't see the Promised Land because he struck a rock twice instead of once. So why didn't something similar happen after these episodes?
Well, interestingly enough, the Hebrew word for "laughed" is yishaq, which is the word from which the name Isaac is derived. So, because Abraham laughed, God tells him that the child shall be called Isaac. Now when the three strangers arrive later, God tells Abraham once again about a future son (this time within earshot of Sarah) and uses the same words that he used before. More than likely, it is then that Abraham recognizes him as the Lord. But the point of all this is that because each one of them laughed, neither one can argue with God for his choice of the name "Isaac".
(The following sentences closed the second paragraph after the opening story.) Amazingly enough, isn't the chiding which our Lord gives to Martha reminiscent of the kidding that God exchanged with Sarah? In both instances, there is a deep underpinning of love in God's chastisement.
Have you ever been "driven to distraction"? Perhaps you may recall an event in your life which is similar to that of the woman in the following story. The story goes like this:
- A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New England town, the same town where actor Paul Newman often vacationed. One Saturday morning, the woman got up early to take a walk. When she got back home, she was seized by the craving for a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone. So she hopped in the car, drove to the center of town, and went straight to the combination bakery-ice cream parlor. The only other customer in the store happened to be Newman himself, sitting at the counter having a donut and coffee. The woman's heart skipped a beat or two as her eyes made contact with the celebrity's baby-blues. Newman nodded graciously and the star-struck woman smiled demurely. She quickly composed herself. "I'm a mature 45-year-old woman, not a teeny-bopper," she told herself. The store clerk filled her order. She took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other and without even a sideward glance at Newman, went out the door. When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change, but that the other hand was empty. "Where's my ice cream cone?" she thought. "Could I have left it in the store?" Back into the store she went, expecting the cone to be still in the clerk's hand, or in a holder, or on the counter, or just somewhere. She happened to glance at Paul Newman. His face broke into his familiar warm, friendly grin as he said, "You put it in your purse!" (1)
In today's gospel passage, we might say that Martha has likewise been "driven to distraction". As we just heard, when Jesus arrives, Mary sits listening to him while Martha herself is running around preparing a meal for him and his disciples, getting hot and bothered that Mary is not helping her. Finally, she can't stand it any longer and comes to Jesus, fussing and fuming about Mary's lack of assistance.
Now before we think too harshly about Martha, we ought to consult John's account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In this account, it is Martha who comes out to meet Jesus and professes her belief in the resurrection of the dead. Now we don't know what has transpired either before Luke's account or between these two events, but John does say that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus very much". But notice in today's gospel, our Lord just chides Martha for being too concerned with trivial stuff. In today's language, he might have told her simply "Chill, Martha."
So what does our gospel have to tell us today? Well, in our first reading, we heard how God came as a stranger to Abraham and Sarah and promised them a son. And in the gospel, Mary sat at our Lord's feet, listening to him. So, in both of these passages, God comes into the lives of Abraham and Sarah, as well as those of Mary and Martha, bearing gifts. Just as we would never consider going to someone's home without bringing a little something for them as a token of our appreciation for their hospitality, God does not come to us empty-handed. That is the depth of his love and respect for us, his children. To Abraham and Sarah, he promises a son. And to Mary, he gives the gift of his Word, which Martha could also have enjoyed if she hadn't been so preoccupied with "little things".
Haven't we all known people who were so busy being busy that there was no time left for others? I am reminded of a couple of events in that marvelous little book The Little Prince in which he meets an accountant and a geographer in his travels who are both so busy with "matters of consequence" that they have no time for anything, or anyone, else. But the Little Prince is trying to sort out why a proud and demanding rose on his little planet had started to take over his life. Later in the book, it is a fox who reveals to him a little secret: it is the time that he has wasted on his rose which has made his rose so important to him and which has set that rose apart from all other roses.
It is the same for us: it is the time that we have spent with God through prayer, and with God through others, which makes them important to us. You see, God gave Abraham and Sarah the gift of their son, Isaac. But later, God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his son on the mountain. Likewise, Christ shared his Word with Mary and with Martha, and later would test their faith before he brought Lazarus back to life.
In the same way, God has given each of us gifts of one form or another, and all he asks is that we return them to him by using them to accomplish his will on earth. And even if we erroneously believe that we have no special gifts to offer, we are forgetting that he has given us the most precious gift of all: the gift of time. And all that he asks of us is to spend some of that time getting to know him: through prayer, and through our time spent with others.
I recently came across the following story which I believe fits in perfectly with this point. The author writes:
- I knew my mother's 81st birthday was going to be a tough one for her. She had just lost my father two months earlier after fifty-five years of marriage. I was out of work that year and didn't have much money for a gift. So I told her that I would drive from Ohio to Michigan to spend a few days with her and that that would be all that I could afford as my present. On her birthday night, she chose to take us both out to a very nice local restaurant. As we were having dinner, an older couple in the next booth said hello to mom, and as I was introduced, I explained why I was visiting. "How wonderful!" they exclaimed. "How we wish our children would get the message that we don't want or need any more things, that their presence is infinitely more valuable to us. How we wish one of them would simply give us some of their time as you are doing for your mother. She's a very lucky woman." Those comments have resonated in my heart. As it turned out, it was my mom's last birthday on this earth. To give or to receive, there is no better time than the present and no present better than time. (2)
God does not come to us directly as he did to Abraham and Sarah. And Christ doesn't visit with us in the same way that he physically stopped by to see Mary and Martha. As I mentioned, there are only two ways that God comes to us now: one is through prayer, which we will be discussing at greater length next week, and the other is through others. We can get to know God by spending time with his Word. If we do that, then God will give us the gift of himself and the knowledge of his ways. Once he has bestowed this gift on us, he asks is that we use those gifts to further the Kingdom of God on earth: by spending some of the time he has given us with one another and by caring for them as we would like to be cared for. In other words, by following the example of the Good Samaritan, as we heard last week.
So whenever things tend to overwhelm us, all we need to do is to spend some time with the Lord and let his Word bring peace into our troubled lives. Then we can take this peace and bring peace into the lives of others by our acts of caring. After all, just like the Little Prince found out about his rose: it is the time that we have "wasted" on one another which makes them important to us and which sets them apart from everyone else. As the author of our story noted: there is no better time to share our gifts than the present, and there is no present we can give better than time.
1. Driven to Distraction. Contributed by Larry Warren. Source unknown. Comments may be sent to him at lwarren@unidial.com)
2. A Gift of Time by Tracy Tiffany. Comments to her at tracytif@cybersol.com. Used with her permission.
(Copyright 2016 by the Spirit through Deacon Sil Galvan, with a little help from the friends noted above. Permission is freely granted for use, in whole or in part, in oral presentations. For permission to use in writing, please contact the human intermediary at deaconsil@comcast.net.)
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
Lord Jesus, you brought the gift of your Word to Mary and Martha. Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you give us knowledge of the Father through your Word. Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you give us the gifts of the Spirit through your Word. Lord, have mercy.
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
Celebrant: God brought the gift of a son to Abraham and Sarah, just as Christ brought the gift of his Word to Mary and Martha. In the same way, God will grant us the gift of a response to our prayers if we bring them to him in faith.
Deacon/Lector: Our response is "Lord, hear our prayer".
That the leaders of the church may live the Good News in their lives and be an example to others, we pray to the Lord.
That the people of the nations of the world will put aside their differences, live in peace with one another and bring an end to the war in Ukraine, we pray to the Lord.
That the sick, the elderly and those who are grieving the loss of a loved one may find comfort in the Word and through the caring of others, we pray to the Lord.
That God will bless all those who serve others as cooks, housekeepers and cleaners, and all those who welcome visitors into their homes, we pray to the Lord.
That all of our brothers and sisters will be treated as our equals in the sight of God regardless of their race, color, nationality or religion, we pray to the Lord.
That all of those who died in the recent shootings will be welcomed into the loving arms of their Savior who suffered and died for them and that their grieving families will find strength in their faith and in the support of their community, we pray to the Lord.
For all of the intentions which God knows are in our hearts and which we recall in silence. (Pause) For all of these intentions, we pray to the Lord.
Celebrant: Compassionate Father, grant us the grace of your Spirit to use the time with which you have so graciously blessed us to serve you by serving one another. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.