Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 108
Reading 1
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
R.(1a) He who does justice
will live in the presence of the Lord.
One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
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.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Reading 2
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.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
There is always so much to do. The demands of work, family, and the constant drive for material wealth can become a predominant force which can then blind us to what is important. Even though our intentions may be good; developed by the willingness to take care of ourselves and those we love the most, we can be focusing on the wrong things without even realizing it. From early on, we have been taught to work hard, expecting to be rewarded for our work. The more we do, the more we get in return. What is it that we are looking for? Are our intentions rooted in good things or in pride? Are we looking to achieve a certain goal or are we looking for some sort of unhealthy validation, thus increasing a self-perceived vision of ourselves that might be threatened by other areas that we are falling short in.
Our faith needs to be the guiding force within our lives to sort through these questions. Focusing on our faith and our relationship with Jesus Christ can help us answer these questions, keeping us in a healthy spiritual condition. The Apostle James reminded us that,” Faith without works is dead.” Notice the focus is on faith first. Before any work can be done, we must be moved to do these things through the pre-empting of The Holy Spirit. Love needs to come first then the works that we do should be in reaction to that love. We can then be assured that what we do is for the right reasons instead of the wrong ones. Martha had a job to do. She took these responsibilities seriously. Unfortunately, she forgot why she was doing what she was doing and for what purpose, thus it became a burden instead of an act of love. When a good work becomes a burden, then it there is no joy in it. There is no more reaction to the presence of Jesus Christ. Instead, love is replaced with jealousy, envy, and pride. The work becomes a thing of division instead of a unifying factor.
Jesus Christ said, “I came into this world for judgement, so those who do not see might see, and for those who do see might become blind.” It is through Him that things can be put in two categories: Things of the earth and things of the spirit. The things of this earth will always be a burden for us. When we strive for them, putting our time into gaining them, we will be exhausted and unfulfilled. Content for a moment, we will then become discontent and begin the pursuit of fulfillment all over again. The things of the spirit will lead to satisfaction and the presence of Jesus Christ. As Jesus pointed out, “ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When Jesus is the focus and our good works flow because of the presence of His love, then there is no negative thoughts or actions as a result from doing these works.
The Apostle Paul mentions how he rejoices in his suffering. His sufferings were not coming from the pursuit of material gain or personal satisfaction. He was suffering because of the work he was doing in the name of Jesus Christ and The Church. His sufferings then became not a burden, but something that could serve a unifying factor between him and Jesus Christ. This is where our focus needs to be. If we can suffer with Jesus for the glory of His name, then we will experience joy instead of joylessness.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote,
“All things have an end, and two things, life and death, are side by side set before us, and each man will go to his own place. Just as there are two coinages, one of God and the other of the world, each with its own image, so unbelievers bear the image of this world, and those who have faith with love bear the image of God the Father through Jesus Christ.” It is our duty to bear the image of God the Father through Jesus Christ. If we bear that image, then our actions will reflect it in all things. As a result, our burdens in the name of Jesus Christ will not be burdens, but cause of celebration.
Deacon Tom
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