16th Ordinary Sunday

Lord, do you not care? "Martha, Martha, you worry and you get agitated for a lot of things. Only one is necessary. To hear the Word of God and put it into practice. The Lord does care and worry about Martha, who is busy doing good things, but totally disconnected to the divine will. Each and every one of us is important for the Lord. It is sad that some of us give more importance in action, executing wonderful charitable activities, without getting inspired in our contemplation. Jesus earnestly wishes that we consult Him first before choosing an activity, even if it’s a very holy and sacred one.

To do this, we need inner peace and a genuine desire to be with the Lord. Everything begins with this inner silence, which help us to have a simple and divine look that terminates with an attentive listening, which leads us into concrete actions, approved by the Lord.

It is in this inner silence that Abraham recognized the presence of the Lord in front of his tent. Certainly the worries of life, like an unbearable heat have played their part.  Abraham was pushed to come out and will never regret this coming out of oneself, one’s own land of security. Without knowing the events that await him, Abraham believed all that the Lord announced to him.

Just like in the Old Testament, Jesus is coming in search of us. Longing eagerly to be with us and listen to us. He wishes to offer many good tidings, just like that which was offered to Abraham. In this Sunday we are once again invited with Martha and Mary to discover this Lord who is generous and to do all that is necessary to identify His presence and profit the grace which He desires for us. He is with us and among us. Saint Paul tells us that this mystery of his closeness is revealed in Jesus. Even the suffering that we undertake due to the accomplishment of divine will, will turn into a joy. With the Lord everything is pleasant.  Looking at his humanity we are invited to discover his divinity. By imitating his humanity, it is possible to live His divinity in our own humanity.

As Christians, we can live our baptism and this mystery of the divine presence in two ways; active, doing good that is visible to others and contemplative, living with the Lord, which is visible only to the Lord. The acts we do must born of our contemplation, from what we have learned from the Lord. Because the life and strength of every Christian can remain firm and grow if they remain united to the true Vine, from which come life, love and the desire to go on without looking back.

The most important thing is not what we do or can do, but the acts be inspired by the Lord. May the Lord abide in these acts and be glorified. It is in His glory that man will find the perfect fulfilment of his own will which is divine. Thus in every act which is divine in our humanity,  we all become, the good Samaritans, to all our brothers and sisters, in the image of our Master.

Jesus invites us to discern, discern everything in all sincerity, our own priorities of life. It is not good to eat the starter without being able to taste the main course. The rites or liturgies we celebrate, including the Eucharist, must bring us to the Lord and foster the divine encounter that Jesus desires. A contemplation without action and an action disconnected from contemplation, cannot fulfil the divine will. Jesus needs Martha to fulfil all that Mary listened to.

Let us prepare our heart to welcome the Lord and His Word as Mary. Let us learn to choose, in our discernment process, the best part that no one can take away. Configured in the divine love, let us fulfil all this Word that the Lord has entrusted to us. Amen.