Today we hear readings that help us with our life of prayer. When we see Abraham try God's patience again and again, it becomes clear that asking for the same thing again and again can be a sign of faith, of trusting that God will be patient with us as we keep asking for what we believe we need. The Psalm supports us in our faith that God will answer all our needs and the Gospel presents Jesus' understanding of prayer. This aspect of the life of the Savior is one that we marvel at more than just about any other. To have a relationship with God that is so intimate and so trusting - that is what we should all strive for. But what is most important to understand from today's readings is that it is possible. God is really that patient, God is really that ready to answer our prayers, God is really that good to us in our need. And to complete the picture, consider the words of Saint Paul, who tells us that God does not even wait until we are good or saved or holy, we can be in that relationship of prayer with God in any circumstance of our life. God is there, God is here: where are you?
In the readings today we meet some of the most significant theological texts in the whole of the Bible. In the meeting between the three visitors and Abraham, we have the Old Testament text that was for centuries used to advance the theology of the Trinity. The three visitors are also the inspiration for Andrei Rublev's most powerful icon. The reading from Paul has caused many a theologian grief; we know that Christ's sufferings were more than sufficient for the salvation of the whole world. How could there be any indication from Saint Paul that there was something lacking in that suffering? And finally comes the Gospel, where Jesus says to Martha and to all those who work untiringly for the sake of the liturgy or in ministry of any kind, you have chosen your part and others have chosen theirs. It may not look fair, but no one forced Martha to minister either. It was her choice.
To my mind, what all of this suggests is that we cannot limit the ways in which God will be revealed. Even our own sufferings can be a moment where we can meet Jesus, for our sufferings are one with his. To offer service and to receive service are simply different ways of encountering Christ. But in all things it is our task to be alert to the ways in which the Holy Spirit is trying to enter our hearts and lead us in the path of righteousness, which is, after all, the way home to God.
Today's readings are among the most challenging in
all of scripture for us to hear. The first reading in particular
has Moses speaking to the Israelites and to us concerning the
fact that we no longer have the excuse of ignorance. We know
what God wants of us; we know what the relationship with God is
to look like. Jesus reinforces this message in a dramatic
fashion, summarizing the entire law of God into a simple saying
that anyone could remember and then going a step farther by
showing that anyone can see what the law requires of un in terms
of how we should live our life. The fact that it is not
complicated or distant means that there is really no need to
wait to begin to do it….to live the law of love now.
The Colossians reading is a hymn on the nature of Christ that
reminds us that as we have seen and heard what Christ would have
us do, we have in fact met the creator of the universe.
The successful mission of the
seventy-two disciples is our Gospel reading today, but the first
reading and psalm gives this event its broader significance. The
sending out of the seventy-two is the announcement of the
kingdom; it is the true prosperity of Jerusalem spreading out
over all Israel and eventually to us. The gospel message of the
kingdom is not a secret! Like any wonderful news, when Christ
comes to save we rejoice and tell everyone we meet. The end of
the Gospel reading is of special interest.
When the disciples succeed in their mission, they are happy
because they succeeded; Jesus tells them that they should rather
rejoice because of the eternal consequences of having accepted
the mission to proclaim the good news. We, too, should rejoice
that we have been given the call to be children of God.
On this Sunday, the reading from Paul has a particular link to
the rest of the scriptures. The new creation is what he
celebrates; and through the death and resurrection of Jesus the
proclamation of the kingdom to the entire world is his
responsibility. It is also ours.
