Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 'C'

Sunday July 22, 2007

A Rendezvous with God

Although some folks eat to live and others live to eat, there are few people who do not enjoy a good meal. And for some, every meal is a social event and an excuse for a celebration. That may be why some people find it difficult to eat alone. Eating is more than the ingestion of food. It’s an active engagement, a sacred ritual that nourishes the soul as well as the body. I suppose that is why a meal is often connected with the observance of significant life-events. Beyond that, it is often an opportunity for strangers to become friends and can even be the occasion for the restoration of broken relationships even without Alka-Seltzer!

Whatever the circumstances, a good meal — even an impromptu meal — doesn’t just happen spontaneously. It takes preparation and a great deal of care in the presentation of the food especially if guests are present. Moreover, we need to avoid distractions that detract from ‘table conversation’. Whenever I offer the prayer of invocation and blessing at a wedding reception, I usually include a guarded prayer for the musicians: “May the music be loud enough to have fun and soft enough for us to talk!” How often has it happened that family and friends having traveled a great distance for a celebration only to find it necessary to compete with the din of a dancing band or DJ?

Among our biblical mentors this morning are Abraham and Sarah who welcomed three strangers and served a modest but attractive meal to them. There were no interstate highways and no Blimpi’s, Whimpy’s or McDonalds in those days. ‘Biblical highway travelers’ were welcomed by considerate ‘highway hosts’ along the way and were often occasions for a rendezvous with God. It was during such an encounter that the promise made by God to Abraham and Sarah was to be fulfilled namely, that even in their old age, they would be the parents of a son who would be the first of many descendents and Abraham the father of many nations.

Notice the dynamics in the narration of this story: first the setting “by the Oak of Mamre” – a place of great significance because it was the location where Abraham had encountered God on numerous occasions. The location is not neutral. Then Abraham recognized in the visitors special messengers of God: “My Lord if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.” Recognition is important because it is a mark of respect. Next came the welcome and invitation to a meal: “Rest yourselves… let me bring a little bread that you may refresh yourselves.” An open heart and acceptance predisposes both the host and the guests for what follows. “Then he took the cures and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.” The engagement is culminated in the eating of the meal. It was only at the conclusion of the meal that the purpose of the visitation was revealed — the fulfillment of the promise that Abraham would bear a son. Sarah laughed at the possibility but they were assured the promise was not to be taken lightly. Still, the full realization of what took place during that visitation would not be appreciated until years later as the story was told and retold and embellished by the author of Genesis during the Babylonian exile.

This story is included among today’s readings in order to prepare us for the narration of another spontaneous visitation and meal described by Luke in the gospel.

Some commentators and homilists have used this text to affirm the superiority of the practice of contemplative prayer over the active life. But as with the visitation to Abraham and Sarah, a lot more is going on in this story than what meets the eye.

It is possible that Luke was making the point that that Mary was entitled to sit at the feet of Jesus just as were the other male disciples in marked contrast to the Jewish custom that women were relegated to kitchen duties, to be neither seen nor heard. Thus Luke seemed to be moving beyond the demarcation of space between men and women. Mary was to have equal access to Rabbi Jesus so that she too might be able to take on a rabbinical role as teacher and preacher of the good news of salvation.

Luke’s gospel is unprecedented in its conscious inclusion of women in significant episodes and identifies them among his close followers. It is Luke who identifies a woman as the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. As one homilist put it, “Luke is not denigrating housework so much as suggesting that woman also have legitimate aspirations beyond the useful function of cooking and child bearing and taking care of men leading some to call him the original gospel feminist.” (Cf Fr. Jim Smith, Celebration Resources, NCR Publications, Kansas, Mo, 2007]

When we come this table, we need to incorporate the qualities of Martha and Mary. We need to be active participants, preparing ourselves for the feast of God’s word long before we arrive — it is not enough to roll out of bed “to get Mass in” – and after we have arrived we need to be attentive listeners at the feet of Jesus. There is much more happening than what meets the eye! It can be a genuine rendezvous with God.

If here is a progression of thinking in both the Old and New Testaments, there is also a progression of thinking in the tradition of the Church. Though this ritual is repetitive we ought not allow our participation to become routine lest we miss something very important for our health and spiritual well being and for the well being of the Church and the world.

The homilist is charged with the responsibility to open us up to what may lie hidden beneath the ancient texts and obscure ritual. In many cases, the homilist affirms what congregants already believe. I hope that happens more often than not. On other occasions, the homilist may challenge listeners to be more open to the realities hidden beneath the text and rituals. In both cases, the message may not be understood until long after we leave this assembly — in our conversations at our table at home or in our private reflections on the road or even in the midst of our daily work.

In this sense, the Bible does not have the last Word. God will always have the last word. The meal is never over and our faith must be nurtured and nourished daily at our own tables and at least weekly at this table because we never know when the Lord may be revealed through an unexpected visitor.

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