FIRST READING: Genesis 18:1-10. The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, “My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourself under the tree, while I fetch a morsel of 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 fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.” And 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 which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

EXPLANATION: Abraham had been told by God to leave his home, his kindred and his native country, and come to a land which God would give as a homeland to his descendants. He was to become the father of a great race. From this race could come a blessing for all nations, the Messiah, as he was later called (Gen. 12:1-9). Although Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was barren and no longer young, he trusted in God’s word and came to the land of Canaan. Some twenty years later Abraham was still waiting for God to fulfil his promise. He was still without an heir, but nevertheless he did not lose his trust in God. The incident described in today’s reading occurred about this time, when Abraham had pitched his tent near Hebron in a place called the Oak of Mamre.

The Lord appeared to Abraham: This is narrated as casually as if it were an everyday occurrence. God appeared in human form, accompanied by two angels who were also in human form. Most likely, Abraham did not know who his visitors were. The writer of Genesis says that the chief visitor was God. But Abraham treated the strangers with all the courtesy of oriental hospitality.

wash your feet: A very necessary refreshment for people travelling barefoot over the hot sands of the desert which surrounds Hebron.

fetch . . . bread: He then got Sarah to bake some fresh rolls, and one of the servants to kill and roast a “choice” steer.

stood by them: He himself served the meal to the “three men.”

Where is Sarah your wife?: The first indication that they were no ordinary visitors. As strangers, how did they know his wife’s name or if he had a Wife?

Sarah . . . have a son: One of the visitors promised that he would return in a years time and that by then Sarah would at last have given birth to the promised son.

APPLICATION: This incident which happened to the Father and Founder of the Jewish race, the Chosen People, nearly four thousand years ago, would seem at first sight to have little if any interest for us Christians of the twentieth century. Yet it has. That is why it is read in our liturgy today. Whether things happened exactly as described, or whether the inspired writer later used his poetic imagination to drive home to his readers, and to all of us, some very important lessons, matters but little. The basic fact of the narrative is that Abraham, after years of faithful trust in God, was finally given a definite guarantee that God’s promise to him would be fulfilled within a year.

The fulfillment of that promise has more meaning and importance for us than it had even for Abraham. It was the beginning of God’s preparation for sending the Messiah, his divine Son in human nature, to raise us men above our natural capacities and make us heirs of an eternal life. We call Abraham “our father in faith” in the Mass and rightly so. We owe it, after God, to his faith and trust in God, that the way was prepared, according to God’s eternal plan, for the coming of Christ amongst us. This resulted in the supernatural change in man and in his relationship with God.

How slowly, how patiently, but how effectively and successfully, God works when dealing with weak, worldly and often stubborn man. The whole story of salvation is an example of divine, infinite patience and almost incredible tolerance in the face of human ingratitude, infidelity and, frequently, utter unworthiness. Yet, he carried out his plan and opened heaven for us unworthy and ungrateful men.

That was all before Christ came on earth. Has man been much more grateful, much more obedient, much more reverent towards God, even since he sent his Son to raise us up to the dignity of sonship with himself? There have been noble exceptions, thank God. Down through the two thousand years of Christianity, men and women have given their lives totally and exclusively to the task of thanking God for all he has done for mankind. But the vast majority of all generations have taken God’s gifts as they take the weather. They grumble when it rains. They are thankless when the sun shines.

Human nature has changed very little. Thanks be to God, he does not change either. He is still tolerant. He is still patient. He is still forgiving and more anxious to get us to heaven than even we ourselves are. We have much to learn from Abraham’s faith. When God seems to be slow in answering our urgent request, when he seems to forget the pressing spiritual needs we have put before him, when he seems to be kinder to his enemies than to us his children, it is well for us to think of Abraham’s years of patient trust and absolute confidence in God’s promise. God has his reasons which we cannot see or understand. Of this we can be certain though: he makes no mistakes. Our prayers and our requests are and will always be answered in God’s time and in God’s way. That means, at the right time and in the manner best for us. We are the very worst judges in our own cases. Leave it to the all-wise judge.

It is worth noting also in today’s lesson that Abraham was given his final, definite guarantee after he had proved himself a true, kind, generous neighbor to complete strangers. Perhaps if we all forget self a little more, and think, instead, of our needy neighbor, then God would come more quickly to our own aid. There is a strong stubborn and selfish strain in every man. Overcoming that selfishness is one of the principal obligations of a Christian. We have all failed miserably in this duty in the past. We have all failed often. But we must keep on trying. There are occasions every day for practicing brotherly love, which is the true mark of Christianity, not only on our doorsteps but within the walls of our own homes. These are the means God is sending us to help us to earn eternal life. Unless we use them we shall live and die as selfish, self-centered individuals. There is no place in heaven for the self-centered, selfish man.

Heaven is the home of the great and loving family, where each is for all and where all are for God.

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SECOND READING: Colossians 1:24-28. I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest 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. Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ.

EXPLANATION: St. Paul, imprisoned for preaching the faith, devotes his time to writing to the Gentile converts whom he and his helpers had brought to the knowledge of the Gospel. He has no thought for himself or his suffering. In fact, he is glad to be allowed to suffer for this great cause. His one desire is to give his converts as deep an understanding as possible of the good news which they received when they were given the Christian faith. Last Sunday he stressed the divinity and primacy of Christ. Today he emphasizes the real meaning of Christianity, God’s mystery, God’s plan from all eternity to raise mankind, all men, to the status of sons of God, through Christ’s Incarnation.

sufferings . . . sake: He counts it a joy to be able to suffer the hardships of imprisonment. He says he is accepting these sufferings gladly, for the Colossians. How it is for them he explains in the next verse.

I complete what is lacking: Paul says that his bodily sufferings supplement the sufferings of Christ in his body. Not that Christ did not do enough to elevate man and make him capable of the eternal life. But each individual must apply the merits of Christ to himself. He will do so, by doing his prescribed part, in order to benefit by what Christ has earned for him.

for . . . his body . . . the church: The Church, made up of all Christians, is called and is the body of Christ on earth. Each member has his part to play in order to make the whole body healthy and vigorous. When we are in the Church we are no longer just individuals. The weaker members can and must be helped by the stronger. As in the human body, if one leg is weak the other must work harder. If one eye is blind, the other has the work of two eyes to do. So it is in Christ’s body, the Church. Paul, the willing servant and lover of Christ, is glad because he can do something extra for the other members through his prison hardships.

Mystery hidden . . . generations: The salvific mission of Christ on earth is in question here. The Son of God became man in order that men and women could become God’s children and heirs to eternal life. This revelation of God’s infinite love for man was until then unknown (a mystery) to the Gentiles. It was not understood in its truest and fullest sense even by the Jews.

his saints: It is now revealed to them in the story and the gospel of Christ. They know therefore that they are called to holiness, called to be saints here and hereafter.

mystery . . . Christ in you: Ever since their baptism, Christ is in them and they are in Christ. They are now living a new life. They are vivified by Christ who lives in them.

hope of glory: They can look forward to an eternal life with God, because of their incorporation in Christ through baptism and the Christian faith.

we proclaim: This doctrine of the salvific mission of Christ to all men in the Incarnation is the faith that Paul has preached and is preaching.

every main . . . in Christ: His aim is to make each man, each member of Christ’s body, a mature, fully-formed member, each one reaching the state of perfection destined for him.

APPLICATION: What a startling and amazing piece of news the gospel must have been for the Gentiles! Up till then, they had heard of many gods—the productsof men’s hands and imaginings. These gods were powerless to help man. They were stone deaf to his prayers. Men may have had a desire to live for ever, but what a hopeless piece of wishful thinking it must have appeared to them as they saw even the richest and most powerful among them invariably end in the grave.

Now they hear of one all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving God, who made all things and cares for all things. That all-loving, all-powerful God, who gave such marvellous gifts to man, has still greater plans for the masterpiece of his creation. He intends that man should share his own eternal happiness with him, so man’s desire to live forever turns out to be something that can and will be fulfilled. Man’s created, finite nature could of itself have no claim on, or reason to expect, such an extraordinary privilege. But God planned from all eternity to unite the human with the divine. This he did through the Incarnation. The Son of God became man—humanity was united to the divinity in him. Human nature was thus enabled to share, in a finite way, in the divinity of God. Only God could do this, and only infinite love could move God to act in that way towards a mere creature.

Because God acted in such a manner, man’s lot on earth was radically changed. The troubles and hardships of this life mattered little now. The grave no longer meant the end of everything. It was, rather, the beginning of man’s true life. The moment of death, when they would meet Christ in his glorified human nature, united to his divinity, was something to be looked forward to, and not a thing to be dreaded. No wonder these first Gentile converts led exemplary Christian lives. They appreciated sincerely all that God and Christ had done for them. The best that they could do was not half enough to show their heartfelt gratitude.

“Familiarity breeds contempt,” the proverb says. After almost twenty centuries of Christianity, we have indeed grown familiar with it, and some, alas, have the rudeness to despise and ignore it. A true familiarity with God’s love for us, however, should rather increase our respect and our gratitude for the extraordinary gift of his divine love, Christ’s Incarnation—with all its consequences for us. It has made new creatures of us. It has raised us up above our ordinary selves. It has made us sons of God. We know there is an eternal life awaiting us when we finish with this earthly life. The marvellous powers of intellect and will which God gave us and which make us the highest of his creatures on earth will have their full scope and satisfaction in that eternal life. All human problems will be solved, and all human pain and sorrow will end. There will be no more tears nor cause for tears. Heaven will be a place of unending happiness and peace.

The conditions we must fulfill in order to merit this happy, everlasting abode are not impossible. With the aid of God’s grace, which is there for the asking, they are not even difficult. The trials of life, which we all have to face and bear, are made so much easier for us. We can see in them God’s mercies, sent to cleanse us and prepare us for what lies beyond.

What most of us need is a great bit of that fervor which animated the early Christians. If we meditated and pondered more often on the gift of Christ and what the Christian faith means to us, we would live our daily Christian life a little more fervently. Our love for God and for neighbor (the proof of love for God) would grow stronger. Not only would we make sure of our future happiness, but our good example would spur the careless Christians that we encounter to love and esteem the blessings which Christ and Christianity have made available to them.

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GOSPEL: Luke 10:38-42. Jesus entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”

EXPLANATION: The Martha and Mary mentioned here by St. Luke are the same two women of whom St. John speaks when describing the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:1-41). They were sisters of Lazarus. Their home was in Bethany near Jerusalem, and Jesus was a frequent visitor there. Lazarus is not mentioned by Luke, as the incident he describes concerns the sisters only. What a contrast there is between them!

Martha . . . him: She knew him, and it is clear from St. John that he was always welcome there.

Mary . . . at the Lord’s feet: Mary’s first thought was to learn all she could from his own lips about the message he was preaching. She knew of it already, but wanted to know more.

Martha . . . serving: On the other hand, Martha’s first thought was hospitality. She set about preparing a meal for Jesus and his disciples. Although Luke does not mention the disciples, it is most likely that they were with him. Otherwise, Martha could hardly find preparing a meal for one a difficult task for which help was needed.

Tell her . . . to help me: It was not that she feared having to overwork. In her anxiety to be hospitable she was desirous of getting the meal prepared for the visitors as quickly as possible.

Martha, Martha . . . many things: Our Lord repeats her name to emphasize his answer. He does not deny the importance of hospitality—one of the corporal works of mercy and a proof of love of neighbor—but there were things of greater importance. Perhaps Martha was preparing too lavish a repast when a plain meal would have been enough. For this she would not have needed the help of her sister and she too could have listened to his words.

one thing is needful: Many expositors interpret these words as meaning: a simple meal (one dish) is enough. They would be therefore a confirmation of the above suggestion: that Martha was preparing too lavish a meal. But these fit in better with what follows rather than with what he has already said.

Mary has chosen the good portion: To hear the word of God and to keep it is better than any other interest one can have. This is Mary’s intent and interest. Martha could have listened, too, while doing the other tasks. The one and only essential thing in this life is to reach our goal, our purpose, eternal life.

shall not . . . her: He defends Mary’s attitude and refuses Martha’s request for help, which he saw was not necessary in the circumstances.

APPLICATION: This story concerning Mary and Martha has often been used by spiritual writers to prove the superiority of the contemplative life over the active, pastoral form of life. That there is room and necessity for some members of Christ’s body, the Church, to dedicate their lives solely and entirely to meditation and prayer needs no proof. Each member of the body can and must help the other members. Most Christians cannot give much time to prayer, contemplation of God, and acts of thanksgiving for all he has done and is doing for them. There are members set apart for this very purpose. With their material needs provided for by the other members, they can act in the name of the whole body. They can represent all its members in their prayers and acts of thanksgiving. It is God himself who has thought of this form of religious life and who provides the vocations to keep it going.

The more correct lesson which the story of Martha and Mary seems to have is that we must not let the affairs of this life, innocent though they be in themselves, prevent us from attending primarily to the one affair that really matters, our future life. The emphasis, then, is on Martha rather than on Mary. In her over-excitement to prove herself a kind and true hostess, she bent all her energies to preparing an excellent meal. She had no time to listen to the Master’s words of divine wisdom. The work she was doing was excellent and faultless in itself. She need not and should not have excluded learning from Christ’s teaching while doing that good work.

Like Martha, many “good” Christians are “anxious and upset” about many earthly concerns. These concerns are necessary. This we know. A man must earn his daily bread; a wife must cook and wash and labor for her husband and family. This is what God himself expects us to do. What we need not and must not do, however, is to forget or exclude God in the process. Our daily tasks, whether in the office, workshop, or home, are prayers that are honoring God and thanking him for the many gifts of mind and body that he has given us, if we offer them to him and do them with this intention, they are indeed perfect prayers.

This is where so many fail. They spend days, months, maybe years, intent solely on their earthly tasks, without a thought for their future fate in the life that is to come. Yet a truly profitable Christian life is so easy for the vast majority of true Christians. A short morning prayer can be said while dressing. Thus we offer to God the day with all its joys and sorrows, all its trials and tests. It will mean that the day is registered to our account in the Book of Life. A few moments of thought for God and his goodness every now and then during the day will help immensely to keep our morning offering alive and active. A few moments on one’s knees beside the bed before retiring to rest, thanking God for the day he has given us, and asking pardon for the faults committed, is not too difficult for anyone.

A day such as this is a day spent in the service of God, such as will ensure a happy future when our last day comes. Mass and Holy Communion will round out each week for all practicing Christians. Besides, everyone ought to do some good reading. The knowledge gained from reading is a must today for anyone who really wants to help his fellow man, many of whom have lost their bearings and need a helping hand to put them back on the right road.

Yes, while active in the necessary affairs of this world, providing for the earthly necessities of ourselves and our dependents, we can at the same time, if we are sensible and sincere Christians, be storing up merits for ourselves. These merits will give us a pleasant surprise when the day of reckoning comes.-c273