16th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sunday, July 17, 2022

irst Reading: Genesis 18:1-10a  
Psalm #15:  O Lord, who may abide in your tent? 
Second Reading: Colossians 1:24-28
Gospel Acclamation Verse: Blessed are they who hold fast to God’s Word in an honest and good
                                               heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.
Gospel:  Luke 10:28-42
Theme:  Discipleship focused on listening to Jesus rather than being distracted by many concerns.

Commentary by Jane Prini

We are often overwhelmed with needing to always be connected to our family, friends, the ball game, latest news, video game and more. We are so busy with so much instant information at our fingertips that we have no time for formation. Too often we are spiritually empty. Business might be the most dangerous enemy of our spiritual lives. It gets in the way of loving God. To love God takes time, energy, passion and stillness. 

In today’s gospel, Mary shows her love for the Lord by listening to him when we came to visit with them. We see that while Jesus has human needs for food and hospitality, his is a Godly visit. It is more appropriate to focus on the spiritual food that Jesus offers, rather than the food that Martha is preparing. 

This is important for us today. We, too, are busy, troubled and distracted about many things. We, too, need to choose the better part—to sit at the master’s feet—to spend time in prayer—to seek the Lord’s direction. Only then can we expect the Lord to bless our work to further his work.
  As a “doer,” I feel bad for Martha. She gets a bad rap here. She is doing her duty as she sees it. She works hard. She has good reason to resent Mary, who (as Martha sees it) has abandoned her at a critical moment. Jesus’ words must have hurt her feelings. If I were Martha, I would take Jesus at his word—turn off the stove and sit down to listen. At some point, people would start thinking about food. We would see how long it would take Jesus to understand the error of his ways. Hunger is a good teacher!

The irony of course, is that if Jesus had just fed five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish (9:12-17), Martha can trust that he has the means to provide for her guests. They will not go away hungry. 

But does this story mean that those who express their love for family, friends and Jesus by working in the kitchen are doing something wrong? Hardly! The story of Mary and Martha does not teach us that it is better to sit than to do. It teaches us to discern—to set priorities carefully—to seek the better thing, the good portion, whatever that might be in the situation in which we find ourselves. Both listening and acting are good behaviours for Jesus’ disciples. Our challenge is to determine which is needed at this moment.

I offer three practical ways, learned from Mary in today’s gospel, to rediscover Jesus in the midst of business. Just choose one so you can step away from your business and be directly in God’s presence. 1) Read the daily gospel: 15 minutes a day to read, re-read, and hear what it’s saying for you today. 2) Deny yourself: choose not to do or eat/drink something your enjoy ‘just for today’.
3) Spontaneous Prayer: Talk to Jesus about the events of your day right as they are happening.

Discussion starters: (Choose one or more of these after reading today’s scripture readings)

1. Of the three suggestions given above, which one will you choose for today? Talk about how you will do this and encourage each other to follow through.
2. On page 3 below are ten suggestions by Pope Saint John XXIII for taking time to rediscover Jesus. Perhaps your family can work through them day by day.

Prayer for Families: Dear Jesus, help us to remember that You are the most important thing in our lives. Don't let us get so busy with other things that we forget to spend time with You. Amen.

Family Activities, Just for Today, Colouring Page, Cross Word Puzzle and Word Search: Pages 2-6
Resources used for inspiration in this post:  Holy Heroes, Dynamic Catholic, Sermons4Kids, Sermon Writer

CLICK, READ MORE FOR FAMILY RESOURCES, Colouring Page, Cross Word Puzzle and Word Search
 

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