16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

My dear parishioners,

God is Good!!!  All the time!!!  And all the time!!!  God is Good!!!

Our first reading tells us that, when Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him with the promise of a son by Sarah (Gn 17:16-19). The patriarch laughed at this. So God repeated the promise and then “went up” from him. Now it seems Abraham anxiously awaits God’s return. Even though the day is hot, the patriarch sits at the entrance of his tent. It is worth noting that Abraham feels perfectly secure sitting in so open a place; by contrast, his nephew Lot feels secure only within the walls of the city of Sodom.

Generosity: When Abraham sees three figures standing nearby, he runs out to them and invites them to stay. He offers them water, the shade of a tree, and “a little food.” This little food turns out to be a substantial meal. Although the text does not explicitly say God is present, Abraham seems to be aware that he is in the presence of the divine. He waits on his guests as if expecting that they may have something to say to him.

Promise: When the guests do speak, they wonder why they have not seen Sarah. They seem surprised that Sarah has not made an appearance to express her utter gratitude for the promise of a son after so many years without a child. Abraham tells them she is nearby, but he does not invite her to meet the guests. The reason for Abraham’s hesitation becomes apparent when Sarah laughs at the news of a son. It seems Abraham has not yet told her of God’s wonderful promise. God is generous and reaffirms that promise. The lesson of this narrative, like so many others in the Bible, is that God’s word is entirely worthy of trust.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus visited the home of Martha and her sister Mary. Hospitality at that time in history would require that Jesus be greeted by the man of the household, who would offer refreshments and engage in conversation. If the man of the house was not there, then the woman of the house would greet the male guest and offer refreshments. However, under no circumstances would she engage the male guest in conversation or be alone with him in the same location. Much to the shock of Martha, her sister Mary has positioned herself at the feet of Jesus, listening to his every word. This would be considered shameful action on Mary’s part. She has broken the boundary of hospitality by assuming the position of the man of the house.

Martha’s primary goal would be to get Mary away from Jesus and do as much damage control as possible. She would have expected Jesus to assist her in this task, for he was certainly aware of what was happening. Her plan for saving face—both for Mary and for Jesus—was to insist she needed Mary’s assistance with the preparation and serving of refreshments. But Mary’s choice to listen to the word of God would definitely rank above every form of hospitality as exhibited by Martha.

Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved

 Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius