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Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God! Today we reflect on the readings from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 18:1-10a), the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (Colossians 1:24-28), and the Gospel according to Saint Luke (Luke 10:38-42). These passages guide us through hospitality, service, and deep listening to God’s Word.
First Reading (Genesis 18:1-10a):
Abraham receives three mysterious visitors and welcomes them with generosity and reverence. He offers them the best he has, unaware that he is in the presence of the Lord Himself. In response, God promises the birth of a son.
This reading invites us to live hospitality and reminds us that God often appears in subtle ways. When we welcome others with love, we welcome God into our lives.
Second Reading (Colossians 1:24-28):
Saint Paul speaks of his joy in suffering for Christ, completing in his flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the Church. His mission is to proclaim the mystery hidden for ages: Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This passage encourages us to embrace our Christian mission with courage, knowing we participate in God’s great plan. Christ is our strength, our hope, and our goal.
Gospel (Luke 10:38-42):
Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary. Martha is busy with many tasks, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, listening to His word. Jesus praises Mary for choosing the better part.
This scene teaches us that amidst our daily activities, we must make space to listen to God. True communion with the Lord is born from silence and a loving heart.
Reflection and Call to Conversion
Today’s readings call us to practice hospitality, persevere in our mission, and above all, to nurture a listening heart. Like Abraham, like Paul, like Mary, let us open ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to transform our lives.
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[Music]
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Reading from the book of Genesis. In
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those days, the Lord appeared to Abraham
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near the terabinth tree of Mamra. As he
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was sitting at the entrance to his tent
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in the heat of the day, Abraham looked
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up and saw three men standing near him.
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As soon as he saw them, he ran to meet
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them and bowed down. He said, "My lord,
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if I have won your favor, please do not
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go on your journey without staying with
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me, your servant. I will send for a
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little water to wash your feet, and you
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will rest under the tree. I will serve
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you some bread to refresh yourselves
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before you go on your journey, for that
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is why you have come to your servant."
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They replied, "Do as you have said."
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Abraham immediately entered the tent
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where Sarah was and said to her,
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"Quickly, take three seas of fine flour,
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knead some bread, and bake it." Then
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Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf,
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one of the tenderest and best, and gave
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it to a servant, so that he could
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prepare it immediately. Then he went and
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got curds, milk, and the roasted calf,
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and set them before them. But Abraham
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remained standing with them under the
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tree while they ate. And they asked him,
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"Where is Sarah, your wife?" "She is in
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the tent," he answered. And one of them
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said, "I will certainly return by this
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time next year, and Sarah, your wife,
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will have a son." The word of the Lord.
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Thanks be to God.
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[Music]
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Reading from the letter of St. Paul to
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the Colossians. Brothers and sisters, I
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rejoice in all my sufferings for your
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sake. And I strive to complete in my
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flesh what is lacking in Christ's
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afflictions in solidarity with his body,
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that is the church. I serve him by
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fulfilling the task God has entrusted to
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me to deliver to you the fullness of the
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word of God, the mystery hidden for ages
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and generations, but now revealed to his
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saints. To them, God chose to reveal the
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riches and glory of this mystery among
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the Gentiles. the presence of Christ in
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you, the hope of glory. We proclaim this
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mystery, warning everyone and teaching
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everyone with all wisdom, so that
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everyone may be perfected in Christ. The
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word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Luke. Glory to
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you, Lord. At that time Jesus entered a
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village and a woman named Martha
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welcomed him into her home. Her sister
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Mary sat at the Lord's feet and listened
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to what he was saying. But Martha,
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however, was busy with much work. She
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came to him and said, "Lord, don't you
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care that my sister has left me to do
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all the serving by myself? Tell her to
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come and help me." The Lord answered
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her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried
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and upset about many things, but one
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thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the
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better part, and it will not be taken
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away from her." Word of salvation. Glory
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to you, Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine arriving home after a long day
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of work. You open the door and to your
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utter surprise find three strangers
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standing in your living room. What would
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be your first reaction? Fear,
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irritation,
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suspicion. Most of us would probably be
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alarmed and wonder how these people
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entered our home. But today through the
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sacred readings we are invited to
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contemplate a completely different
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perspective on hospitality, the divine
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presence and the priorities that govern
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our lives. In the first reading, we find
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Abraham sitting at the entrance to his
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tent during the heat of the day. When he
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sees three men approaching, his reaction
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is immediate and extraordinary. He
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doesn't hesitate. He doesn't question
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their identities. He doesn't worry about
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his own convenience. Instead, he ran to
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meet them from the entrance of the tent
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and bowed down to the ground. What a
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powerful image. Abraham, already an
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elderly and respected man, runs like an
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eager child, prostrating himself before
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strangers. And his words reveal a heart
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that understands something profound
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about the nature of hospitality. My
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Lord, if I have found favor in your
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sight, please do not pass by without
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stopping beside your servant. Abraham
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does not see these visitors as an
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inconvenience or an interruption. He
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sees them as a blessing, an opportunity
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to serve. And note the generosity of his
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offering. I will bring a little water so
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that they can wash their feet and rest
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under this tree. I will also bring a
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morsel of bread so that they can refresh
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their strength.
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But Abraham does much more than he
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promised. He runs to Sarah and asks for
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bread made from the finest flour. He
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runs to the herd and selects a tender
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fat calf. He mobilizes his entire
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household to offer the best they have.
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This is no ordinary hospitality. It is
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extraordinary hospitality born of a
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heart that recognizes the sacred in the
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ordinary. And then the miracle happens.
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One of the visitors makes a promise that
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would forever change the lives of
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Abraham and Sarah. I will return to you
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next year and Sarah your wife will bear
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you a son.
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These were no ordinary visitors. It was
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God himself manifesting himself to
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Abraham through this divine visit. What
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a profound lesson for us. How often do
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we miss opportunities to encounter God
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because we are close to hospitality?
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Because we see the needs of others as
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inconvenient because we are so
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preoccupied with our own agendas that we
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fail to recognize the divine presence
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all around us. The letter to the
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Colossians offers us another perspective
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on this same truth. Paul writes of the
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mystery hidden for ages and generations
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now revealed to his saints. What is this
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mystery? Christ in you, the hope of
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glory. Paul is telling us that God does
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not manifest himself only in dramatic
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encounters like Abrahams. Christ dwells
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within each of us. Every person we
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encounter carries this divine presence.
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Every opportunity to serve is a chance
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to encounter Christ. But Paul also
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speaks of suffering. I rejoice in my
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sufferings for your sake. And in my
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flesh, I complete what is lacking in
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Christ's afflictions for the sake of his
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body, that is the church. What a
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mysterious statement. Paul is not
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diminishing Christ's suffering, but
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acknowledging that as members of the
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body of Christ, we share in his
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afflictions when we serve others. This
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means that when we open our homes to
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those in need, when we sacrifice our
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comfort for others, when we place the
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needs of others above our own, we are
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not just doing good deeds. We are
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participating in Christ's own redemptive
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mission in the world. And then we come
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to the gospel where we encounter two
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sisters with very different approaches
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to Jesus presence in their lives. Martha
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welcomes Jesus into her home and
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immediately engages in a frenetic
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activity of preparation. She is busy
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with much care, determined to offer
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Jesus the best possible hospitality.
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Mary, on the other hand, makes a
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different choice. She sat at the Lord's
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feet and listened to his word. When
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Martha complains about her sister,
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expecting Jesus to rebuke her. Jesus
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response is surprising. Martha, Martha,
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you are worried and upset about many
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things, but only one thing is needed.
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Mary has chosen the better part which
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will not be taken away from her. This
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passage has often been misinterpreted as
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a criticism of practical service or an
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elevation of contemplation over action.
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But let's look deeper. Jesus is not
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condemning Martha's service. He is
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pointing to a question of priority and
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attitude. Martha was busy and fussy. Her
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body language suggests anxiety, stress,
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perhaps even resentment. She was
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serving, but her inner peace was
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disturbed. Mary, in contrast, had chosen
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to be present, attentive, and receptive
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to Jesus word. Herein lies the tension
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we all face. How do we balance action
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and contemplation? How do we serve
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without losing our inner peace? How do
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we offer hospitality without becoming
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slaves to anxiety? The answer lies in
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the integration of these two dimensions.
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We need both the heart of Abraham, open,
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generous, ready to serve, and the heart
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of Mary, attentive, receptive, centered
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on the word of God. We need to learn to
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serve from a place of inner peace to be
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active from a contemplative center.
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Imagine Abraham serving his visitors not
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with anxiety but with joy. Imagine him
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running not out of obligation but out of
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love. He is not busy and agitated like
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Martha. He is energized by the privilege
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of serving. This is the difference
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between serving from the ego and serving
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from love. My dear brothers and sisters,
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how can we apply these lessons to our
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lives today? First, we are called to
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cultivate a hospitable heart. This
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doesn't just mean inviting people to
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dinner, although that is wonderful, too.
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It means developing an attitude of
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openness and receptivity to the needs of
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others, especially those who may be in
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vulnerable situations. Second, we are
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challenged to recognize Christ in
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others. Every person we encounter, the
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homeless person on the street corner,
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the difficult colleague at work, the
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lonely neighbor, the crying child is a
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bearer of divine presence. How would
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this change the way we interact with
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them? Third, we are invited to find a
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balance between action and
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contemplation. We need times of
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stillness, of prayer, of listening to
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God's word, but we also need to
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translate this contemplation into loving
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action. Like Mary, we need to sit at the
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feet of Jesus. Like Abraham, we need to
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be ready to rush into service to others.
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Fourth, we are called to serve from a
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place of peace, not anxiety. When our
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action flows from our union with God,
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when we serve from love and not
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obligation, our service becomes an
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expression of worship, not a source of
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stress. Fifth, we are reminded that God
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often comes to us in disguise. Abraham
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didn't initially know he was receiving a
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divine visit. How often do we miss
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opportunities to encounter God because
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he doesn't appear in the way we
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expected. Imagine what it would be like
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if each of us lived with the open heart
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of Abraham, the contemplative
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attentiveness of Mary, and the
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missionary zeal of Paul. How our
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families would be transformed. How our
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communities would flourish. how the
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kingdom of God would manifest itself
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through our lives because in the end
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this is the central message of all three
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readings. God desires to encounter us.
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He comes to us through unexpected
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visitors, through his word, through the
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needs of others. The question is, will
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we be ready to welcome him? May we have
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eyes to see Christ in each person we
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encounter. May we have hearts large
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enough to offer generous hospitality.
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May we have attentive ears to hear his
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word. And may we have integrated lives
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where contemplation and action, prayer
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and service, love of God and love of
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neighbor become one reality. May the
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grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who
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became a servant of all, inspire us to
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live as he lived with open arms to
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welcome, attentive ears to listen, and
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hearts filled with love to serve. And
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may the peace of God which surpasses all
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understanding guard our hearts and minds
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in Christ Jesus today and always. Amen.
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]