HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Jul 20, 2025

516

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Genesis (18:1-10a)

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, he said: "Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree. Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way." The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said."

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls." He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. Then Abraham got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared, and set these before the three men; and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.

They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" He replied, "There in the tent." One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (15:2-3, 3-4, 5)

(R) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

One who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue. (R)

Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; by whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the LORD. (R)

Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent. One who does these things shall never be disturbed. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (1:24-28)

Brothers and sisters: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (10:38-42)

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are 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."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

There was a long queue of people outside the gates of heaven. Each person was asked the question: "Why do think you should be admitted?" The first man in the queue, a very religious man, said, "Lord, I read the Bible every day." "Very good," said the Lord, "However, we'll have to conduct an investigation to see why you read the Bible, so step aside for a moment. The second was a very pious woman who said, "Lord, I said my prayers every day without fail." "Very good," the Lord said, "However, we'll have to see if your motives were pure, so step aside for a moment." Then the third person approached and said, "Lord, while on earth I wasn't a religious person, but I never refused to share my food with the hungry and give shelter and support to the homeless." "Very good," said the Lord, "In your case no investigation is needed, go right in."

It's said that it's better to avoid doing good deeds when you have an ulterior motive or a hidden agenda, except in the case of charity. Good deeds done with less-than-pure motives can still be considered as good deeds if they ultimately benefit others and contribute to a positive impact.

Today's first reading from the Book of Genesis (18:1-10a) tells the story of Abraham sitting by the entrance of his tent under a tree on a hot day, probably contemplating God's promise of a son, which had not yet been fulfilled. And then when he looked up, he saw three men approaching. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Abraham could have looked away and pretended that he didn't see anyone, or he could have gone back into his tent and waited for them to go away. On the contrary, he chose to respond with the best of himself. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them, bowed with respect, offered water to them so they could wash their hands and feet, which was a common act of hospitality in his time and place, and asked them to stay and eat, even though the men had not explicitly asked for his help. He showed no fear of danger or embarrassment or indifference or anything else.

As soon as the visitors accepted his invitation, he hurried to make the arrangements. Filled with excitement and purpose, he instructed his wife and household to prepare the finest of what they had: bread from the finest flour, and a good and tender calf from his herd suitable for honoured guests. When everything was ready, Abraham himself served them, and then stood by, happy and ready to meet their every need. Thus, despite the heat of the day and unexpected arrival, Abraham acted as both a gracious host and a humble servant, demonstrating exceptional hospitality. While he was waiting on them, one of the visitors, most probably one of whom is identified as the Lord, revealed that upon his return next year, his aged wife Sarah would give birth to a son long promised by God.

Some people might say that Abraham went to great lengths to honour his guests because he knew they were angels from the outset. He even recognized that two of the men were angels and one was God. This understanding is based on the narrative where Abraham initially addressed one of them as "Lord", bowed before him and called himself his servant. Besides, he had experiences of God's appearance before encountering these visitors. First, God had spoken to Abraham, then known as Abram, commanding him to leave his homeland and family to go to a new land, promising to bless him and make him into a great nation, Genesis (12). Then, God appeared to Abraham in a vision and repeated His promise, Genesis (15). And then again God appeared to Abraham, changing his name from Abram to Abraham and his wife's name Sarai to Sarah and reaffirming His promise, Genesis (17).

So, by the time Abraham met the visitors, he was already familiar with God, Genesis (18). But others say that Abraham knew neither their identities nor the purpose of their visit. It's only when one of the visitors asked about his wife and revealed her new name "Sarah" that he realized their true nature.

What is the message for us?

Either Abraham knew or he didn't know the identities of the visitors - either way, it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to act justly and rightly, showing kindness and generosity to the visitors. Without hesitation, he opened the door not only to offer food, drink, and rest but also to have spiritual intimacy and fellowship with them. In inviting them to enjoy his hospitality, Abraham entertained the Lord Himself and His angels and, received a life-altering revelation about the birth of a son through divine intervention.

We, Christians, consider Abraham as "our father in faith" for his unwavering faith and his willingness to obey divine commands. However, he was also known for his exceptional acts of humility, respect, kindness, care, generosity, attentiveness, and hospitality, particularly towards these three men, demonstrating a practical application of his faith. His actions teach us the importance of embodying the same spirit in our lives today.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his Jewish followers that if they were truly descendants of Abraham, they would act like him, specifically by believing and accepting Jesus' teachings, John (8:39). One of the central teachings of Jesus is to show kindness and compassion to others, especially those in need. This is reflected in his parables like the Good Samaritan, which we heard last week, where he emphasizes the importance of seeing those in need as our neighbour and to act with selfless love and offer practical help, regardless of their background and status. Furthermore, Jesus himself demonstrated this through his actions, often showing empathy to both Jews and gentiles, as well as those considered sinners and righteous, thus extending God's love to all.

Jesus also teaches that acts of charity and kindness towards others are, in effect, acts of service directed toward himself. He says, "I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me", Matthew (25:35). "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, so you do unto me", Matthew (25:40). The Letter to the Hebrews too emphasize the importance of hospitality, particularly to strangers. It explicitly states, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it", Hebrews (13:2).

God, being both Spirit and human, particularly through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, can visit us and communicate with us in many ways, including scriptures, visions, dreams, and especially through other human beings. He may visit us anywhere and anytime, especially the hottest part of the day, like He visited Abraham. That is to say that God may visit us during the most challenging or uncomfortable moments in life, when we are least prepared or when circumstances are difficult. At such times, as Christians, and spiritual descendants of Abraham, we must emulate Abraham's joy, humility, kindness, hospitality, hope, and bold confidence as much as we strive to emulate his faithfulness and obedience.

We must set aside our doubts, anxieties, fears, concerns, burdens and even personal affairs, and recognize instead God's appearance in unexpected ways, often through ordinary people or situations and strangers regardless of their background and social status, and respond to their needs, particularly their basic urgent needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and companionship.

The greatest blessing came to Abraham after he gave of his best, and without reservation, to the visitors. Yes, indeed. When we give it our all and do what is good, just, and right not only in the eyes of God but also in the eyes of men, Deuteronomy (6:18) and 2 Corinthians (8:21), even if our acts are motivated by self-interest to some degree, our acts will certainly benefit individuals and society as a whole, and the Lord our God, the God of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and our ancestors, too, will respond with the best of His blessings for no good act goes unnoticed by Him. Just as Jesus teaches us, let us do good to all without expectations of pay-back, except the great reward from God, Luke (6:35) - a swift and peaceful entry into heaven, without unnecessary delay, through the grace of God.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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