Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 20, 2025 — Year C
Readings: Gn 18:1-10a / Ps 15 / Col 1:24-28 / Lk 10:38-42
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on hospitality, not just to one another, but to God Himself.  They challenge us to ask, “How do I welcome God into my life?  Do I allow myself to sit at His feet like Mary, or do I allow myself to become anxious and distracted like Martha?”  Through Abraham, Paul, and also with Martha and Mary, we learn that true hospitality involves both action and contemplation, service and presence.

Abraham, in our first reading, sees three men approaching in the heat of the day.  These visitors are no ordinary guests.  They are a manifestation of the Lord Himself.

Abraham runs to welcome them, prepares a lavish meal, and tends to them with humility and joy.  This is one of the most beautiful images of sacred hospitality in the Old Testament.  And what is the result of this hospitality?  A promise from God that Sarah will bear a son within the year.  Abraham shows us that when we make space for God, miracles can happen.

The Church fathers saw this scene as a foreshadowing of the Trinity and the Eucharist.  God visits us, feeds us, and blesses us when we welcome Him with open hearts.

Saint Paul, in our second reading, speaks of his suffering as a participation in Christ’s Passion for the sake of the Church.  He emphasizes the mystery that has been revealed: “Christ in you, the hope for glory.”  His mission is to present everyone perfect in Christ, to proclaim Him, and to help others grow in maturity of faith.

Here Paul models spiritual hospitality, opening his heart to God’s mission and welcoming others into the life of Christ through his teaching and sacrifice.  This ties beautifully with the gospel.  The deeper purpose of any Christian service is not just doing good but helping others encounter Christ.

In our gospel reading, Jesus enters the home of Martha and Mary.  Martha welcomes Him but becomes anxious and overwhelmed with the work of serving.  Meanwhile, Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, listening.  When Martha complains, Jesus gently corrects her.  “Martha, Martha, you’re 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.”

It is a beautiful passage about Mary and Martha and their hospitality, but it is also a very misunderstood passage.  It can be quite confusing.  It may be helpful to keep in mind that Jesus is very good friends with both Mary and Martha.  This passage does not condemn Martha’s service.  After all, she’s the one who welcomed Jesus.  But Jesus draws attention to the disposition of the heart.  Mary has chosen to be fully present to Christ.  She recognizes that being with Him is more important than doing for Him.

As Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh, but instead we must be simple, humble, and pure.”  Mary’s humble presence is a model of simplicity and purity.

All three readings emphasize welcoming the Divine Presence: true acts of hospitality as with Abraham and Martha, spiritual service and suffering as with Paul, and attentive listening and contemplation as with Mary.  Together, they challenge us to examine how to balance action and contemplation, work and worship, service and stillness.

The Church reminds us today that prayer and action are both necessary.  Prayer is both a gift of praise and a determined response on our part.  It always presupposes effort.  Martha’s work and Mary’s stillness both have value.  The Church does not elevate one at the expense of the other, but calls us to a unity of life, where action flows from prayer, and prayer is expressed in action.

Sometimes we ask ourselves, “Should we be like Martha, or should we imitate Mary?”  As our readings tell us today, we are not called to choose between being Martha or Mary, but to integrate both aspects into our lives.  We can be both.  Be like Martha in service—generous, active, and caring; and be like Mary in spirit— contemplative, present, and attentive to the Lord.

A Christian life is one of prayerful action and active prayer.  When our service is rooted in prayer, it becomes fruitful and peaceful, rather than anxious or burdensome.  In our modern world, we are often more like Martha—rushed, distracted, and anxious.  Even our service in the Church can become burdensome if not grounded in Christ.  As followers of Christ, we are called to take time daily to sit at Jesus’ feet, through scripture, silent prayer, or Eucharistic Adoration.

We are also called to be truly present to others.  In a digital-hearted world, presence is the most radical form of hospitality.  As Paul reminds us in the second reading, our mission is to proclaim Christ, to help others to mature in faith, and to live in such a way that Christ is seen in us.  We are called to be hosts to Christ, welcoming Him into our hearts, homes, and communities.  We are also called to be Christ to others, offering His Presence through our listening, compassion, and love.

There is much to do, but only one thing is necessary:  to be united with Christ.  Let us serve like Martha, but only after we have sat like Mary.  Action without contemplation could be fruitless and quite misguided, a waste of effort.  And contemplation without action could be just self-indulgence.  Both are needed in their own order, with first priority given to sitting at Christ’s feet, listening to Him, being open to Him, and learning from Him.

Let us welcome God into our lives like Abraham, so that we, too, may receive His blessing.  Let us suffer with Paul for the Church, teach Christ with our lives, and build communities rooted not just in activity, but in love and contemplation.  Let us remember the gentle wisdom of Jesus: “Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”

May we do the same, so that, in all things, Christ may be made known, loved, and served.