Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading

Genesis 18:1-10a

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.
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, he said:
"Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
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."

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,
"Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."
He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Then 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.

They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
He replied, "There in the tent."
One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son."

Second reading

Colossians 1:24-28

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,
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,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
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.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Gospel

Luke 10:38-42

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."

Sermon

Dear sisters and brothers in faith,

what we have now heard in the reading and in the Gospel can be summarized with the term: Hospitality. Both times someone comes as a guest; both times it is about the question of how the guest is treated and what this hospitality means.

In the reading, God comes to Abraham in the form of three men. Abraham hurries to meet them and asks them to be his guests. He hurriedly and eagerly does everything he can to turn this encounter into a feast. Without realizing it, he entertains God. This becomes very clear at the end of this encounter. The invited man says to Abraham: “In a year's time I will come to you again, and your wife Sarah will have a son”. A son: Abraham and Sarah had been waiting for this all their lives. When they are promised this, they are at an age when they can no longer have children. And yet the promise is fulfilled. The actual recipient is not the one who was invited, but the recipients are Abraham and Sarah.

The same dynamic occurs in the Gospel. Jesus comes as a guest. “Martha receives him kindly”. She is completely absorbed in serving him. And she is annoyed that her sister Mary leaves all the work to her alone. “Tell her to help me,” she says to Jesus. But he reacts unexpectedly. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled. But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better thing". Jesus is a special kind of guest. He has not come to be served, but to be there for others, to give them gifts. Mary has understood this. She listens to Jesus and does what is really important.

Both encounters of hospitality, the one between Abraham and God and the one between Martha, Mary and Jesus, want to tell us the same thing. When God comes to us as a guest, we should be open to him. We should receive him kindly. If we do this, as Abraham did, as Martha and Mary did, then we too are ultimately not the givers, but the receivers. God also presents us with gifts that are infinitely precious.

This is exactly the situation we are in now when we celebrate the Eucharist together. We have prepared everything for this. The sanctuary is decorated. Bread and wine are ready. The organ is playing, giving everything a festive glow. Seen in this light, we can say: God, you can come. Everything is ready.

And he really does come. The same thing happens as with Abraham, as with Martha and Mary. We are now given an abundance of gifts. He gives us his word. With this “Word of the living God”, we are repeatedly assured that we humans are not alone on the path of our lives. Rather, God walks with us and tells us his word, even in situations where the words get stuck in our throats, so to speak, or where we no longer know what to say. It is precisely then that he says to us: It is good that you exist. You are wanted. You are loved and accepted by me in everything and through everything. That is why it is so important to listen attentively to this word again and again, just as Mary does in the Gospel.

But we are given even more. In the bread and wine, Jesus unites with us in a way that is unique, so unique that it goes beyond our comprehension. “This is my body - this is my blood”. Jesus does not just give something. He gives himself. He enters into us completely and permeates us with his spirit from within, so to speak. Hospitality is transformed here into a community that brings us together and unites us forever.

What can we do more and better than say thank you for this? And let us ask that we learn to live better and better from what God gives us.