FIRST READING
Galatians 1:13-24
Brothers and sisters:
You heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions. But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the Apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. (As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” So they glorified God because of me.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to you When I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
ALLELUIA
Luke 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
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.”
REFLECTIONS:
Does the peace of Christ reign in your home and in
your personal life? Jesus loved to visit the home of Martha and Mary and
enjoyed their gracious hospitality. In this brief encounter we see two
very different temperaments in Martha and Mary. Martha loved to serve,
but in her anxious manner of waiting on Jesus, she caused unrest. Mary,
in her simple and trusting manner, waited on Jesus by sitting attentively
at his feet. She instinctively knew that what the Lord and Teacher most
wanted at that moment was her attentive presence. Anxiety and preoccupation
keep us from listening and from giving the Lord our undivided attention.
The Lord bids us to give him our concerns and anxieties because he is trustworthy
and able to meet any need we have. His grace frees us from needless concerns
and preoccupation. Do you seek the Lord attentively? And does the Lord
find a welcomed and honored place in your home?
The Lord Jesus desires that we make a place for him, not only in our
hearts, but in our homes and in the daily circumstances of our lives as
well. We honor the Lord when we offer to him everything we have and everything
we do. Afterall, everything we have is an outright gift from God (1 Chronicles
29:14). Paul the Apostle urges us to give God glory in everything: "Whatever
you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). When you
sit, eat, sleep and when you entertain your friends and guests, remember
that the Lord Jesus is also the guest of your home. Scripture tells us
that when Abraham opened his home and welcomed three unknown travelers,
he welcomed the Lord who blessed him favorably for his gracious hospitality
(Genesis 18:1-10; Hebrews 13:2). The Lord wants us to bring him glory in
the way we treat others and use the gifts he has graciously given to us.
God, in turn, blesses us with his gracious presence and fills us with joy.
"Lord Jesus, to be in your presence is life and joy for me. Free me
from needless concerns and preoccupations that I may give you my undivided
love and attention."
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