July
17st, 2016 Sunday Homily –Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI
Gn
18:1-10a; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10: 38-42
For
Readings:
One of the methods many of the missionaries used to bring
people to the Catholic faith, was to help them improve their socio- economical
life as a starting point. Likewise one of the missionaries did a very good job
in his mission village in the African interior. In a few years he had baptized
many people and built a church, a school and a health center. Due to his
restless work schedule he took ill and had to be flown back to his native
country in Europe for treatment. After many months he was well enough to return
to Africa. To his surprise and utter disappointment he discovered that the
whole village had abandoned his church and turned to a local evangelical
preacher. Even the church he built now had an evangelical signboard in front of
it. “What went wrong?” He asked himself. “What did I do wrong?” He asked his
former church members. The truth hit one day when a woman said to him, “Father,
you did a lot for us. You gave our children clothes and built up our village.
But there was one thing you did not do. You did not bring us to know Jesus as
our personal Lord and Savior.” Doing the work of the Lord is great. But knowing
the Lord of the work comes first. In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us to
prioritize our choices.
The story of Abraham in the first reading, tells that
Abraham, after years of faithful trust in God, was finally given a definite
guarantee that God’s promise to him would be fulfilled within a year. St. Paul
in the second reading, tells that the eternal joy is attainable for man with
the given grace of God. The trials of life, which we all have to face and bear,
are made so much easier for us. We can see in them God’s mercies, sent to
cleanse us and prepare us for what lies beyond.
Today’s gospel story, very well relates to normal family
situations. We see there Jesus the Word God, love, hospitality, hard work,
difference in choices, frustration, complaining, accusation, reply and problem
solving, eating together, fragrance of the costly oil, and so on. Martha and
Mary, both of these sisters were greatly concerned to show hospitality towards
Jesus, as He was their favorite guest. But there were differences in
prioritizing their choices while both of those choices were essential,
especially when Jesus was the guest. Martha was totally engaged in pleasing
Jesus by preparing and giving him a great meal. The way she complains to Jesus
shows the intimate love and friendship she and her family had with Jesus. But
she forgot to receive the important one, which Jesus was offering to her. Mary
was fully engaged in pleasing Jesus by listening to his Words of Life. Jesus
came to this world to give us his life giving Word. Mary understood it and
listened to him. Jesus was pleased with it. It doesn’t mean Martha’s intention
and love were undervalued. Martha's outlook on life was quite different from
Mary's. Martha's words and actions depict her as service oriented and
efficient. Nothing is wrong with being service oriented and efficient, and it
is also essential. But, it should not interfere with the more important things
in life. If it does, it can become a problem.
Mary, listened to Jesus’ words sitting with others at the
feet of Jesus. Her hospitality in action can be seen, as the story continues in
John 12:1-3. To better understand Mary's actions, let's read details in John's
account of that same visit. "Jesus [and the disciples] came to Bethany ,
where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead. There
they made him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat
at the table with him. Then Mary, took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard,
anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was
filled with the fragrance of the oil". Here, Mary first submits her being
to the life-giving words of Jesus and then takes the best she had and offers it
to Jesus by anointing his feet with costly oil at the time of the meal.
Listening to the life-giving words of Jesus, leads Mary to a spontaneous act of
love. In fertile soil, the life-giving word of God will never remain inactive
and it will produce the expected effect just as the house was filled with the
fragrance of the oil.
There are, something of the Mary and the Martha inside each
one of us: the active, busy, distracted as well as the reflective and
contemplative elements. But our modern life so stresses the active virtues,
that we are more in danger of forgetting the need for spiritual replenishment,
for practicing the presence of God, for praying together the family prayers at
home, other than just saying grace before a meal, for reading the word of God,
or the Catechism of the Catholic Church at home, for sitting quietly at the
feet of Jesus spending a few minutes during weekdays in the church in order to
renew our energy and our spirit. We need
to ask ourselves whether in our life, we are missing the “one thing”, which is
the most needful one? Are we so scattered, busy and distracted, that the “the
word of God cannot hold us with due priorities?” Do
we have our priorities in order? Do we keep ourselves focused on Jesus? Do we
put devotion to Christ and his word first, or are we more concerned about doing
mere good deeds? Let us make an effort to prioritize our daily lives, as
Jesus wants us to do in our personal, family and community lives. God bless
you.
No comments:
Post a Comment