16th Sunday 2022
Genesis 18: 1-10; Colossians 1: 24-28; Luke 10:38-42
Drat, bother and confusticate it! Which reading(s) am I supposed to concentrate on today? As you probably know, the Old Testament reading at Mass is chosen to fit in with the Gospel, whilst the Second Reading takes a New Testament Epistle more or less from beginning to end, with no particular reference to the other readings.
Today’s problem is that both the Old Testament/Gospel combination and the New Testament Epistle are full of very rich material, but have no particular point of contact with each other. So about which should I woffle? I can only begin and see where the Holy Spirit takes me.
A very obvious theme running through both the Genesis passage and today’s Gospel is hospitality. The First Letter of St. Peter, which is not included among today’s readings, instructs us to practise hospitality because, by doing so, “some people have entertained angels unawares”.
That is certainly the case with Abraham and Sarah. We are not told who their mysterious visitors are, but it is clear that they are, in some way, a manifestation of God. Indeed, because there are three of them, who at times seem to merge into one, some scholars have identified them with the Holy Trinity, and there is a famous icon which hints at that identity.
Whoever they may be, they (or He) reward Abraham’s hospitality by promising that the aged Sarah will have a son, a gift which surpasses both her understanding and her belief. In a very natural way, she will go on to giggle at this promise, and then pretend that she hasn’t. God alone knows the outcome of the hospitality which we practise, but we should heed the maxim of St. Benedict, who instructed his followers to welcome visitors “as Christ”.
Indeed, it is Christ in person who receives the hospitality of Martha and Mary. Now, if your mother was anything like mine, she will not have been happy with this particular Gospel passage. “Why does Martha get criticised for getting on with her work, while Mary is praised for sitting on her backside? If Martha behaved like her, nothing would ever get done.”
Fair point, though slightly, I suspect, missing the nub. It is perhaps a case of horses for courses, or rather horses for starting times. Everything would indeed grind to a halt if Mary spent all her time on her backside, but at the moment that is what her guest wants. Martha is eager to show hospitality, but it is on her own terms. She is serving the Lord, but she hasn’t taken the trouble to discover how, at present, He wants to be served. He is not too bothered about pie and chips: at the moment, He wishes to spend quality time with His friends.
Later, Martha’s activity will be appropriate. When Jesus visits Lazarus’ tomb, Martha, by coming to greet Him, elicits from Him one of His “I am” sayings—“I am the resurrection and the life”—and is able to make her own profession of faith: “ I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into the world”.
Activity and contemplation both have their time. As the Church, and as individuals, we need both. Activity without contemplation would risk missing its mark: contemplation without activity would be wasted. Each of us needs something of Mary, and something of Martha, within ourselves.
What though of the Second Reading? If I were to be asked to quote my favourite scripture passage, it would be taken from the beginning of today’s extract: “I rejoice to suffer for you as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up what has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of His body, the Church.”
Is that because I want to suffer? Is it heck as like! I fear and loathe suffering as much as anyone else does. Yet I know, as do you, that suffering is an inevitable part of life. If and when it occurs, there is massive encouragement (literally “putting heart in”) from knowing that it is a sharing in the sufferings of Christ; that it isn’t pointless, but is helping to save the world.
Finally, those of you who remember Bishop Brewer will recall that his motto was drawn from this passage. It was “Christus in vobis” which is here translated as “Christ is among you”. Fiery Jack used to stab the page and exclaim “Christus IN vobis—Christ IN you”.
Actually, both he and the translators were correct. “IN” in Latin (“EN” in Greek) can mean both “in” and “among”: in this instance, both are probably implied. Christ dwells in us, but He is also among us, in all His people, and in His world. We are on a winner both ways.
Enough of that! It has been a longer woffle this week, but it is done now.
