16th Sunday C

Welcome to our Bible Study
16th
Sunday in Ordinary Time C
17 July 2016
In preparation for this Sunday’s liturgy
As aid in focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1st
reading: 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. 2 Looking up, he 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, 3 he said: "Sir, if I may ask
you this favor, please do not go on past your
servant. 4 Let some water be brought, that you may
bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the
tree. 5 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." "Very well," they replied, "do as you have
said."

1st
reading: Gen 18,1-10a
6 Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,
"Quick, three seahs of fine flour! Knead it and make
rolls." 7 He ran to the herd, picked out a tender,
choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly
prepared it. 8 Then he got some curds and milk, as
well as the steer that had been prepared, and set
these before them; and he waited on them under the
tree while they ate. 9 "Where is your wife Sarah?"
they asked him. "There in the tent," he replied. 10
One of them said, "I will surely return to you about
this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."
The focus is on the hospitality of Abraham.

Textual Context of Gen 18:1-10a
18,1—19,38 The Fate of Sodom and Gomorrah
18,1-15 Abraham’s Hospitality
18,16-33 Abraham’s Intercession and
Yahweh’s Justice
19,1-29 The Rescue of Lot from Sodom
19,30-38 Lot’s Daughters

1st
God’s appearance in the form of 3 men
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth (oak) of
Mamre (center of Abraham’s activities, north of Hebron), as he sat in
the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. 2
Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby.
Abraham’s invitation
When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to
greet them; and bowing to the ground, (a sign of reverence) 3 he
said: "Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past
your servant. 4 Let some water be brought, that you may
bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree
(oak). 5 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." "Very well," they
replied, "do as you have said."
Outline With explanation

1st
Abraham’s immediate actions
6 Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick,
three seahs (unit of measurement, isang takal) of fine flour! Knead
it and make rolls." (work of Sarah) 7 He ran to the herd, picked
out a tender, choice steer (calf), and gave it to a servant, who
quickly prepared it (work of the servant). 8 Then he got some
curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared,
and set these before them; and he waited on them under the
tree while they ate. (Abraham was a terrific host! He managed well,
and rendered a personalized and complete service to the travelers. What
more can they ask?)
God announces the birth of Abraham’s son
9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There in the
tent," he replied. 10 One of them said, "I will surely return to
you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a
son.“ (Is this intention of the 3 men (God) in passing by, or, is it the
reward of Abraham for his hospitality? For us who know the story, the
message of the reading is that God is now fulfilling his promise he made
to Abraham.)

Commentary on the 1st
reading
God appears to Abraham in a mysterious way. He
appears and behaves like a human being.
God appears in the form of 3 men standing and
allowing themselves to be pampered by Abraham
and then going away somewhere.
Abraham shows hospitality to his invited guests. He
pleads with them to stay, eat and relax.
To prepare quickly, he works hard and mobilizes
Sarah and his servant. He does not take his visitors
for granted.
Those in the tent prepare a sumptuous meal, not just
a simple merienda.

Commentary on the 1st
reading (con’t)
While he is insistent on having them as his guests,
Abraham also gives them the liberty to leave when they
want. He does not withhold them.
Abraham recognizes God in them. He did them obeisance
(bowing to the ground).
True enough, his visitors were God. At this point, before
they go, God announces the birth of Isaac, the son of
promise. God will visit them again next year.
The story gives a sample of the practice of hospitality in
ancient times in the Mediterranean world.
The man (husband) leads in the preparation. He
commanders everyone at his disposal.
Abraham proves himself to be a responsible leader, even in
his old age. At this point, he is 99. He can still handle / process a lot
of things. Sarah is 89.

Reflections on the 1st
reading
It pays to be hospitable to unknown passers by.
Hospitality is shown through meals / agape.
In their own time, the visitors will bring something
good in exchange for hospitality.
There is no age limit to hospitality.
God acknowledges every good deed we do to our
neighbors and to strangers.

Resp. Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
R. (1a) He who does justice will live in the presence
of the Lord.
2 One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
3 and slanders not with his tongue.
3 Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
4 by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
5 Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.

Resp. Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
R. (1a) He who does justice
will live in the presence of the
Lord.
2 One who walks blamelessly
and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
3 and slanders not with his
tongue.
3 Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against
his neighbor;
4 by whom the reprobate is
despised,
while he honors those who fear
the LORD.
5 Who lends not his money at
usury
and accepts no bribe against the
innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
Commentary
The psalm is classified as liturgical psalm.
It begins with, “Lord, who will abide in your
holy mountain?”
All the verses below are the answers:
He who is without fault; he who is just. v.2
He who is truthful. V.2
He who does not destroy the reputation of
others. V.3
He who does no violence (physical or
psychological). V.3
He who avoids the bad guys (wicked
people). V.4
He who honors God-fearers. V.4
He who does not practice usury. V.5
He who does not destroy the innocent by
taking bribes. V.5
This guy who does all these will be
peaceful and calm.

Reflections on the Psalm
When we approach the Lord to praise and give
him worship, we must be clean (faultless,
blameless).
(If we are not clean, we must purify ourselves,
through confession.)
If we are oppressive, violent, unjust, corrupt and
destroy others’ reputation, we are not qualified to
offer anything to the Lord.
Doing evil things do not sit well with liturgical
celebrations which express our love for God and
neighbor.

2nd
reading: Colossians 1:24-28
Paul’s participation in the sufferings of Christ
24 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, 25 of which I am
a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to
me to bring to completion for you the word of God, 26 the
mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
Christ manifested
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, 27 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. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing
everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we
may present everyone perfect in Christ.
The focus is on Christ being manifested to us.
A Simple outline!

2nd
reading: Colossians 1:24-28
Paul’s participation in the sufferings of Christ
24 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, 25 of which I am
a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to
me to bring to completion for you the word of God, 26 the
mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
Christ manifested
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, 27 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. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing
everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we
may present everyone perfect in Christ. The underlined are
addressees to whom
revelation is given.

Textual Context of Col 1:24-28
(NAB)
Col 1,1-2 Salutation
Col 1,3-14 Thanksgiving
Col 1,15-23 Supremacy of Christ
Col 1,24—2,5 Paul’s Interest in the Colossians
Col 2,6 Fullness in Christ
Col 2,20-23 Warnings Against False Teachers
Col 3,1-17 The New Life in Christ
Col 3,18—4,1 Rules for Christian Households
Col 4,2-6 Further Instructions
Col 4,7-18 Final Greetings and Salutation

2nd
reading: Colossians 1,24-28
Paul’s participation in the
sufferings of Christ
24 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, 25
of which I am a minister
in accordance with
God's stewardship given
to me to bring to
completion for you the
word of God, 26 the
mystery hidden from
ages and from
generations past.
Christ manifested
But now it has been
manifested to his holy
ones,
Commentary
Majority of scholars say the author of
Colossians is not Paul. The style, the
vocabulary and concerns of the letter to the
Colossians are so different from Paul’s
authentic letters.
In v.24, the author (disciple of Paul) takes pride
in his sufferings, because he participates or
fills up what is lacking in the sufferings of
Christ, for the sake of the Church.
In v.25, the author introduces himself as a
minister who conforms to God’s design. His
ministry is that of stewardship.
In v.25, his ministry (stewardship) brings to
completion the word of God.
In v.26, through his ministry, God’s word is
totally manifested. God’s word was once
hidden for ages, now it is completely
revealed (through his ministry).
V.26b specifies to whom God’s word is
revealed: to his holy ones.

2nd
reading: Colossians 1,24-28
Christ manifested
But now it has been
manifested to his holy
ones, 27 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. 28 It is he
whom we proclaim,
admonishing
everyone and
teaching everyone
with all wisdom, that
we may present
everyone perfect in
Christ.
V.27 defines who are the holy
ones: chosen by God to know his
riches / glory
V.27 specifies who is revealed:
Christ in you
V.27b describes who Christ is:
hope for glory
V.28 continues to describe Christ:
whom we proclaim.
Proclamation of Christ is coupled
with admonition and teachings to
become perfect (complete, lacking
in nothing)
In Christ, everyone finds
perfection.

Reflections on the 2nd
reading
God uses his missionaries, who are willing to suffer and
sacrifice to proclaim, teach and admonish his people.
The missionary is God’s minister and steward of his body,
the Church.
If you feel responsible for the Church, as a missionary, you
will also exert effort to bring God’s revelation (Word) to
completion.
You become instrument to make the people perfect before
Christ.
You don’t make anyone a devil in the eyes of God.
Don’t volunteer to be a missionary if you talk more about
yourself (old recycled issues), or, if you talk more against
other people, rather than proclaim, teach the gospel and
admonish the sinners with compassion.

Gospel reading: Luke 10:38-42
38 As they continued their journey Jesus
entered a village where a woman whose
name was Martha welcomed him. 39 She
had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside
the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
40 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." 41
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha,
Martha, you are anxious and worried about
many things. 42 There is need of only one
thing. Mary has chosen the better part and
it will not be taken from her."
Thefocusisonhospitality.

Textual Context of Luke 10:38-42
Luke 10,1-12 Mission of the 70
Luke 10,13-16 Woes to the Unrepentant Cities
Luke 10,17-24 Return of the 70
Luke 10,25-37 Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10,38-42 Jesus visits Martha and Mary
Luke 11,1-4 The Lord’s Prayer
Luke 11,5-13 Perseverance in Prayer
Luke 11,14-23 Jesus and Beelzebul
Luke 11,24-26 The Return of the Unclean Spirit
Luke 11,27 True Blessedness

Gospel reading: Luke 10,38-42
38 As they continued
their journey Jesus
entered a village where
a woman whose name
was Martha welcomed
him. 39 She had a
sister named Mary
(who) sat beside the
Lord at his feet listening
to him speak. 40
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."
Commentary
This passage is part of the long travel
narrative of Luke. (9,51-18,14).
Jesus has just finished his teaching on
the Good Samaritan.
Here in this passage, Jesus teaches
Martha the better thing she can do in his
presence.
The village in v.38 is unnamed here. (In
John, it is Bethany).
Martha is a welcoming person. She
welcomes Jesus (only Jesus? No he
had other companions… read v.38…“as
they continued their journey….”)
In v.39, Mary is introduced as her sister.
She prefers to sit beside the Lord and to
listen.
V.40 introduces the problem.
Martha feels burdened because of the
many preparations. She complains she
is left alone by her sister (Is she lazy?)

Gospel reading: Luke 10,38-42
41 The Lord said to
her in reply,
"Martha, Martha,
you are anxious
and worried about
many things. 42
There is need of
only one thing.
Mary has chosen
the better part and
it will not be taken
from her."
In vv.41-42 Jesus replies affirming the
stance of Mary. She has chosen the better
one (=she knows her priority).
When we encounter Jesus, we prioritize
listening to him over preparing elaborately
for his / their merienda.
Next time Martha welcomes Jesus, she
should not overdo her preparation, so that
she too may have time to listen to him.
Luke is fond of presenting Jesus eating and
drinking; but he is also concerned about
giving priority to listening to his words.
Some hosts prefer to distract their visitors
with too much food, and are not interested in
listening to what could the visitor wants to
convey in his visit.
Let us exercise correct judgment.

Reflections on the gospel reading
One may wonder, is Martha not doing the right
thing?
She is doing the right thing as the host, just as
Mary is also doing the right thing.
Hospitality consists in both preparing something to
eat and engaging in a nice conversation.
The question should be: how can we maximize the
presence of Jesus to us / our presence to him?

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
The first reading describes
the hospitality of Abraham.
The psalm identifies who
deserves God’s hospitality in
the Temple.
The second reading talks
about the fullness of
revelation of Christ. We
cannot fully know Christ if we
are not hospitable to him.
The gospel reading teaches
how to be hospitable.

How to develop your sharing / homily
How do you treat your visitors?
Around the world, Filipinos are known to be
hospitable people.
Filipinos serve all kinds of food; turn on the videoke,
vacate room to give way to the visitor, take
photographs, etc.
You are welcome in their houses any time and they can
share with you their food on the table, even without you
giving prior notice.

The first reading and the gospel reading talk
about hospitality. (Maasikaso si Abraham at
Martha.)
Abraham shows hospitality to his visitors /
strangers. He exerts effort to make their stay
comfortable. (1st
reading)
Martha welcomes Jesus when he passes by
their place. She prepares food for him. (gospel)
Mary too welcomes Jesus by entertaining him
at the sala, listening to his words.

In the gospel story, Jesus teaches us how to be
hospitable.
He praises Mary for having made a better
choice.
Some spiritual writers interpret this story by
saying that contemplation (Mary) is better or
should take precedence over action (Martha).
We need both in our lives.

As a teacher, Jesus prefers that we listen to him.
This is consistent with his missionary work to spread
the Word of God.
He does not want us to be distracted by exaggerated
food preparations.
When we are with Jesus, we should listen to him
attentively (contemplation), so that we learn more what
to do best (action) with our lives.

The gospel teaches us to be more focused on the Word
of the Lord.
Like Mary, we should be disposed to listen to Jesus’
words.
Each disciple must be nourished by the Word of the
Lord.

In the church, involvement has no meaning if we are
more concerned with the externals (food) than learning
from Jesus.
We go to church to learn more about the Word of God,
which is itself our spiritual food.
The goal of every Christian is to be with Jesus, to be
totally present to him and to allow him to be totally
present to us, without distractions. 1st
class hospitality!

Today, our churches are infested with many inhospitable
Christians who are more concerned with externals (food
during or after meetings, decorations, sitting arrangements, etc.), than
with listening to the Word of God.
They don’t give a damn to read the Bible at all, or, to join
Bible studies in their communities.
These non-Bible readers don’t even listen to the
readings proclaimed to them in the liturgy.
Their presence in the church is all for show. They have
no intention to change.

The parish priests should weed out all the Church
leaders (PPC) who don’t show interest in the Word
of God.
This kind of people does not contribute to advance
the Kingdom of God. Inutil!
They can’t proclaim, teach the right things and
admonish the wayward children of God.
The people should remind their priests to be more
biblical in their homilies, to conduct bible studies,
etc.

In this Year of Faith, we are also asked by
the Synod of Bishops (2012) to be
hospitable to the poor, to the Youth and
other people who are looking for meaning.
Like Jesus who sat down by the well in
Samaria, we must give time to entertain
those who thirst for God.
Our churches and communities must be
hospitable to the victims of injustice and to
those who are seeking solace.

The eucharist is for those who are hospitable to
the Word of God.
In the eucharist, Jesus shows his hospitality to
us and we show our hospitality to him.
The eucharist is the food for those who work
hard to listen to and spread the Word of God.

Our Context of Sin and Grace
Inhospitable
Hostile
Emphasis on externals
Always eating, drinking,
partying, gimmicking
Mission without
formation
Irreligious and irreverent
church workers /
missionaries who don’t
receive the sacraments
Accommodating
Knows his/her priorities
Interior life
Lectio divina
Visit to the Blessed
Sacrament
Holy Hour
Formed missionaries
Can see the relation of the
Word of God to their lives

Suggested Songs
When we eat (Acclamation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qg_-wvSm7M
Theme of Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NiqOkXYY0A
Sharing (communion)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1ij6D6EyeI

Dear sisters and brothers,
We have no excuse for being not
hospitable. We fail as Christians if we
are not hospitable.
Fr. Cielo

16th Sunday C

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16th Sunday C