Contemplatives in action

The first reading tells us that Abraham welcomed the Lord by welcoming three strangers. The teaching of Genesis in this passage is very clear: when we receive strangers and treat them as honored guests, it is God Himself that we receive into our homes. This teaching comes down to us also when we hear of St. Martin of Tours giving half of his cloak to the cold stranger or when we hear of St. Francis kissing the leper. God is present in the stranger, the naked and the sick.

The second reading from the Letter to the Colossians, tells us it is Christ the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim with all wisdom.

The Gospel is this wonderful story of Mary and Martha, which sometimes is used to justify the contemplative life. We can easily imagine the busy, busy Martha getting frustrated because Mary is just sitting there, apparently doing nothing! This serves as a good reminder to all of us that we can get so caught up into doing things for our Lord that we forget to spend time with our Lord.

Mark tells us that when Jesus called the apostles to follow him, he called them for a dual purpose: “to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message” (Mark 3:14). The need, on the one hand, to be with the Lord, to know him, to fellowship with him and be nourished by his word and, on the other hand, to do the Lord’s work, to serve the Lord in others, to proclaim his message of love in word and deed, brings us to a conflict. Which one comes first? How much of my time should I devote to being with the Lord, to prayer and listening to God’s word, and how much time to doing the work of the Lord? In spite of the urgent need to throw ourselves into the work of the Lord, it is only logical to say that my relationship with the Lord of the work comes before my involvement with the work of the Lord.

The point of the story of Jesus with May and Martha is not to invite us to choose between being a Martha or a Mary. The true disciple needs to be both Martha and Mary. The point of the story is to challenge our priorities so that we come to see that fellowship with the Lord, being with the Lord and hearing his word should always precede the work we do for the Lord. Do we have a program of daily fellowship with the Lord? The beautiful Christian custom of family prayer is declining these days with the influence of TV, work schedules but if we want to listen to the lord and forge ahead family prayer is a must. Whatever way we fulfill this need, today’s gospel invites all Christians first to be a Mary who sits with devotion at the Lord’s feet listening his word, and then also to be a Martha who throws herself with energy into the business of serving the Lord.

First Reading...

"The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as Abraham sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.

He said, 'My Lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on - since you have come to your servant.' So they said, 'Do as you have said.'

And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, 'Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.' Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them: and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to Abraham, 'Where is your wife Sarah?' And he said, 'There in the tent.'

Then one said, 'I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.'" [Gen. 18:1-10a]

Second Reading...

"Brothers and sisters, I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church.

I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is Christ whom we proclaim, warning every person and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ." [Col. 1:24-8]

Gospel Reading...

"Now as Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.'

But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.' " [Lk. 10:38-42]

PRAISE GOD
BLESSED BE THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD