July 17, 2022, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

In the readings from the book of Genesis (Gen. 18:1-10a) and the Gospel from Luke (Lk 10:38-42) for today we find similar themes on what it means to serve the LORD.

In the First Reading we find Abraham and Sarah, the couple chosen by God to be the progenitors of the chosen people of Israel. At this point God has made a three-fold promise to Abraham consisting of land, a blessing and a nation (Gen. 12:1-2). One day while Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent to escape the heat, he looked up and saw three men standing nearby. Unbeknownst to Abraham is the identity of the men; they are the LORD accompanied by two angels.

According to the customs of the day, Abraham gives a warm welcome to the visitors. He gives them water to bathe their feet and he offers to bring them food. He calls to Sarah to quickly make rolls and he runs to his herd to pick one of his choice steers for a servant to prepare. Then he serves his visitors the bread and the meat as well as some cheese and milk to eat and drink.

As Abraham waits on the three men, they ask him about Sarah’s whereabouts. When he tells them that she is in the tent, one of the men, presumably the LORD, promises that when He returns in one year Sarah will have a son. For his faithful attentiveness to the “three men,” Abraham will receive what he had been promised by the LORD. Whereas a few verses later we are told that Sarah laughs at the promise, doubting that she will bear a child in her advanced age (Gen. 18:15).

The scene in the Gospel is similar to that of the First Reading. Jesus enters a village and goes to the home of his friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Martha immediately goes to work serving Jesus and the disciples who would have accompanied him. Her sister, Mary, on the other hand, sits at the feet of Jesus listening to him preach. Not a normal posture for a woman to take in the patriarchal society of the time.

Martha is overwhelmed and beside herself with anger. She is carrying the burden of serving their guests, probably tidying up, baking and cooking, passing food around, and doing the dishes. Martha knows that Jesus holds the power among his followers and friends. So, she says to him, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me” (Lk. 10: 40). But Jesus responds to her in a way that she does not expect. He replies, “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.” (Lk. 10:41-42).

Here Jesus is making a reference to the most essential role that a host or hostess could make for a guest, that is to pay attention to what they are saying. And if the guest is a man of God, the appropriate reception is listening to God’s word. Since Martha and Mary live in Bethany, a small town near Jerusalem, Jesus must have had much to tell those present since he has been traveling toward Jerusalem during recent days. Mary is listening raptly to Jesus, while Martha scurries about barely hearing a word that Jesus is saying.

Of course, the same message applies to us as well. Like Abraham and Sarah and Martha and Mary we have the privilege of being in the presence of the LORD every time that we attend Mass. But what disposition do we have as we enter the Church for the one hour that is the routine for most church goers? Do we attempt to calm and quiet ourselves as we enter the pew, opening our hearts and minds to what is happening? Or do we spend the entire hour busily thinking about what is going on outside of Mass?

We might be considering the difficulties we have had with our boss the previous week or the load of work we are facing in the upcoming days. We might be seething over an argument we have had with our spouse on the way to Church. We might be angry at our children for their bad behavior or refusal to listen to our instructions as they are getting ready for Church. Or it might be something as simple as the heavy traffic that has caused us to be a few minutes late for Mass. It can be any number of circumstances which distract us and prevent us from doing what we are supposed to be doing at Mass and that is listening to the LORD.

So, the next time we attend Mass, we should consider the temperament we are feeling. Are we doubting or too scatterbrained like Sarah and Martha to believe in the promise of salvation offered by the LORD through the Eucharist? Or are we like Abraham and Mary, close by the LORD attentively listening to the words of eternal life available to us through the cross and resurrection. It is a matter of learning the proper way to listen to and serve the LORD.