First Reading
Genesis 18:1-10a
Abraham entertains three strangers and is promised a son.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 15:2-5
Those who do justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Second Reading
Colossians 1:24-28
The mystery hidden from ages past has now been revealed in Christ.
Gospel Reading
Luke 10:38-42
Jesus visits the house of Martha and Mary.
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."
Background on the Gospel Reading
The story of Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary complements the story of the Good Samaritan, which immediately precedes it in Luke's Gospel. Both stories are unique to Luke. The story of the Samaritan opens with the words "a certain man." Today's reading opens with the words "a certain woman." The Samaritan is an example of how a disciple should see and act. Mary is an example of how a disciple should listen. Mary, a woman, is a marginalized person in society, like the Samaritan. Both do what is not expected of them. As a woman, Mary would be expected, like Martha, to prepare hospitality for a guest. Here again Jesus breaks with the social conventions of his time. Just as a Samaritan would not be a model for neighborliness, so a woman would not sit with the men around the feet of a teacher.
Both stories exemplify how a disciple is to fulfill the dual command which begins chapter 10—love of God (Mary) and love of neighbor (the Samaritan). These are the two essentials of life in the kingdom. By using the examples of a Samaritan and a woman, however, Jesus is saying something more. Social codes and boundaries were strict in Jesus' time. Yet to love God with all one's heart and one's neighbor requires breaking those rules. The Kingdom of God is a society without distinctions and boundaries between its members. It is a society that requires times for seeing and doing and also times for listening and learning at the feet of a teacher.
Family Connection
In our families and homes, we have boundaries. Some are geographical; we may have our own room or part of a room that we want others to stay out of. Parents may have home offices that are off-limits to children. Some boundaries are behavioral; children may speak one way to their friends, but they are not allowed to speak the same way to their parents or other adults. A Curfew is another type of boundary, whose purpose is to protect children's safety.
Talk about examples of boundaries in your family. For the most part, these boundaries are good. Talk about how sometimes we set up boundaries for the wrong reasons. For example, if we are angry with a sibling, we may draw a line and tell him or her to stay on his or her side. Explain that when we use boundaries to exclude others, we are being hurtful. Point out how in Jesus' time, some boundaries were used to unfairly exclude people. One example was from last week's Gospel: Samaritans. This Sunday's Gospel has another example: women. Talk about how the role of women has changed in your lifetime. Explain that in this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus breaks down a barrier that kept women from being disciples.
Read aloud Luke 10:38-42. Talk about how Martha is conditioned by the existing boundaries of her society, but how her sister, Mary, breaks through that boundary and becomes a disciple of Jesus. Talk about how you can work as a family to break down boundaries that separate people. Point out that when we pray the Lord's Prayer, we call God "Our Father," meaning that we are all his children; no boundaries should separate us. Conclude this time together by praying the Lord's Prayer.
Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings
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