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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
