1ST READING - Genesis 18:1-10
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. 2 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, 3 he said: “Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. 4 Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree. 5 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.” 6 Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, “Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls.” 7 He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. 8Then 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. 9 They asked Abraham, “Where is your wife Sarah?” He replied, “There in the tent,” 10 One of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.”
P S A L M - Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
R: He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
2 One who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinksthe truth in his heart 3 and slanders not with his tongue. (R)Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 by whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the Lord. (R) 5 Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent. One who does these things shall never be disturbed. (R)
2nd READING - Colossians 1:24-28
24 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, 25 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, 26 the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, 27 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. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Luke 10:38-42
38 Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. 40Martha, 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.” 41 The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 42 There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
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ACTION AND CONTEMPLATION
One of the tensions many followers of Jesus experience is between the active life and the contemplative one. This tension should necessarily be creative, rather than destructive. They are, and ought to be, complementary, both in the life of the individual and the community. Solitude and contemplation are healthy aspects of the spiritual life, though rarely does a person give it predominant focus. This is usually the domain of the contemplative religious orders.
It does not really matter how active one’s life is. There will always be a need to contemplate and reflect. The person who is driven by work (the workaholic) finds it almost impossible to respect this need because there is always something that needs to be done. This attitude is unhealthy and breeds a sort of messianic complex where one becomes indispensable. We are not mini-messiahs. Jesus is the only Messiah and we should realize that it is He who is indispensable, not us.
Workaholism is diametrically opposed to reflection. The more you work, the less likely you will see the possibility for reflection in your life. The irony of this is that the busier we are, the greater is our need to reflect and contemplate, not only to recharge our energies but also know where our energy and talents are best used. The workaholic rarely does anything really well; he achieves a lot, but it is usually of mediocre quality.
As we reflect on this story of Martha and Mary, let us see how it might apply to us in terms of our attitude to both work and service, and prayer and contemplation. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Which do you focus more on — service or contemplation? Where do you need to grow more?
Jesus, You balanced Your ministry with times of prayer. Help me to find the right balance in my life.
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