16^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE C – 2019

ü Last week we read the parable of the “Good Samaritan.”  Who is my neighbor? 

ü  Today we continue to reflect on the theme of hospitality, which in some way was part of the Good Samaritan parable, Jesus will teach us what is the better part.   

FIRST READING  Gn 18:1-10ª

Ø  The reading begins telling us that the Lord appeared to Abraham the terebinth of Mamre.

Ø  Abraham sees three foreigners coming toward his tent; it is the hottest time of the day.   

Ø  He sees them standing by him.   

Ø  Abraham   runs toward them and offers them to stay, refresh themselves, eat, rest before going on their way.   

Ø  Abraham supplicates them to stay, to allow him to offer his hospitality as it is customary among his people.   

Ø  The foreigners accept the invitation.   

Ø  Abraham asks Sarah, his wife, and the servants to help him to prepare what is needed to welcome the foreigners.   

Ø  Abraham remains standing before them while they eat.  

Ø  They ask him about his wife, who is in the tent.   

Ø  The traveler, here the text is in the singular, assures him that he will return and then Sarah will give birth to a son.   

Ø  What did Abraham feel on hearing these words? A son, the son of the promise, so much awaited! We do not know. Maybe he thought, now that I am old I am going to enjoy a newborn son? We know by the text that Sarah, who hears the foreigner, laughs.  Now that I am old I will enjoy the birth of a son? It cannot be… Nothing is impossible for God. 

Ø  Is it not our way to look at the events, at the difficulties in our life? There is nothing that can be done. But God knows the right moment. 

Ø  Something interesting about this reading is that it speaks of the Lord at the beginning and as we continue reading, the text switches from the singular to the plural and vice versa.

Ø    Now that we know the mystery of our God, a Trinity of Persons, could that passage of Scripture be a revelation of who God is, which we would realize only after the resurrection of Jesus and in the life of the community of his followers, the Church?   

RESPONSORIAL PSALM  Salmo 15

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.
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.
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.
He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord

v To live in the tent of the Lord means to have an intimate relationship with the Lord. 

v Who will be so fortunate to live with our God?  

v He who practices justice, in the following verses the psalmist explains what does justice mean, what is justice for God.   

v Lord, may we always be able to live in your house.   

SECOND READING  : Col  1:24-28

     The reading for this Sunday is the continuation of the reading we had last Sunday. 

     The author says that Christ is the head of the Church 

     The reading has three paragraphs:  

     First

o   The author says that his joy is in the sufferings he endures for his people. That  he rejoices in the sufferings for the community. 

o   He is filling up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for his body the Church.

     Second

o   His mission is the word  

o   Through this ministry he makes manifested this mystery which was hidden from the beginning and is manifested to those he has consecrated with his death on the cross.  

o   Christ is our hope.    

     Third

o   It is Christ who  we proclaim.

GOSPEL   Luke 10:38-42

§  We continue with the theme of hospitality, of welcoming.  We will see two sisters who welcome Jesus in different ways, two women who love him dearly, but differently due to their diverse psychologies,  

§  It seems that there has been in the Church, some antagonism between these two forms of serving the Lord. I have reflected on this very often, it seem to me that we are not sincere when we praise the form we do not live, and despise the form we live.   

§  Looking around   we see that activity attracts us more than quiet and silence.  

§  I do not think that Luke wants to put the two sisters one against the other in relation to their welcoming the Lord.   

§  I think that there is nothing wrong about activity, which the Lord himself has put in us. 

§  What is not good is an activity in our ministries, which we say is for God but does not allow us to listen, take care, “loose our time” with people, our brothers and sisters who need us.  In them the Lord awaits to be welcomed with love.  

§  In some place of the Gospel we read that people were seeking Jesus to be cured, healed, comforted, in such numbers that neither him nor the apostles had time to eat. 

§  And, in another occasion they leave in order to have some time to rest and when they arrive they see the crowd waiting for Him, and they began to minister to them.  

§  Each one of us is like these two sisters, sometimes we are one, sometimes we the other. Sometimes we listen to the Lord like Mary, some other times  we listen to his voice in the voice of our brothers and sisters.  

CLARETIAN CORNER

When this holy man was elected archbishop of this island, my confessor brought me the news, very worried considering it impossible to put a hand to the work. But I was so sure of what he had said to me-“not to doubt that the work would be done that way” – I was so certain of this as if it were God who has told it to me through the mouth of this holy soul. So, I told the confessor to be happy that certainly this was convenient to the realization of the work. So it happened. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 63.

My God, you have been so good to me! I have been very late in understanding the many great graces you have given me. I have been a useless servant and have not properly invested the talent you have entrusted to me. But Lord, I give you my word that I will work. Be a little patient with me. Don't take my talent away; I'll invest it wisely now. Give me your holy grace and your divine love and I give you my word that I will work. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 35.

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

CLARET, Saint Anthony Mary. Autobiography.

PARIS, Venerable María Antonia. Autobiography

PRIONS EN ÉGLISE, Juillet 2019 (edition mensuelle)

 

 

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