After the festal cycle of Lent-Easter-Pentecost, the Church settles into a long season of Sundays that are known by the unassuming title of "ordinary." Not that there is nothing extraordinary about them. Rather, Sundays outside the major festal cycles are called "ordinary" only because they are designated by ordinal numbers. In this two-month period of July and August we will celebrate the 13th through the 21st Sundays of the year. We already enjoyed a few Ordinary Sundays (the second through the 8th) earlier in the year between Epiphany Sunday and the First Sunday of Lent. (Please don't ask what happened to the first or the ninth through the 12th Ordinary Sundays. That is too long a story for an ordinary article like this one.)

The Lectionary for these Ordinary Sundays consists of a Gospel reading from one of the three synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, or Luke; an Old Testament reading chosen to correspond to the Gospel text, and a reading from one of the New Testament epistles. The Gospels are read more or less serially, one in each of the three years of the Lectionary cycle. This year, which is Year C in the three-year cycle of Sunday readings, is given to Luke. Year A presents Matthew and Year B Mark. (The Gospel of John isn't slighted, as it is read on certain Sundays in Year B and during the Easter season in all three years.)

The Gospel readings for the Ordinary Sundays are the anchors of the Lectionary. As I mentioned already, we read through most of one of the synoptic Gospels each year. The Sunday Gospel reading is then paired with a reading from the Old Testament that complements it. Often the Old Testament passage is chosen because it is quoted or prophetically fulfilled in the Gospel passage, or because it carries a similar theme.

This dependence of the Old Testament passage on the Gospel in the Lectionary highlights the point that we have made so often in this liturgical Bible study series. Jesus is the interpretive key to the whole of Scripture, even of that portion which predates His earthly existence. All of salvation history has been ordered by the God who became man in Christ to point to His role as our Savior. So, the Church has always read-even the texts of the Old Testament-christologically, or as having their fulfillment in Him.

The Epistle readings in ordinary time are not so tightly joined to the theme of the Old Testament and Gospel passages. In fact, they are virtually unhinged from the other two. They have been chosen to give us a glimpse into the richness of that part of the New Testament literature. Because of their character, spiritually deep and dense, we read briefer sections of these texts so as not to overload ourselves with too much spiritual food. Although no attempt is made to read any Epistle through in its entirely, they are presented in continuous segments.

We've not spoken much about the responsorial Psalms in our liturgical Bible study. A rich study could also be made of these texts. In many cases the Psalm response is just that, our response to the Old Testament text we've just heard proclaimed. But it is not a response from mere spectators to the saving works of God in the Old Testament. In the responsorial we speak as participants in those events by virtue of our presence at the liturgy, where these great works are made mystically present in Christ.

Now that we have a sense of how the pieces of the Lectionary fit together on the Ordinary Sundays, let's look at what one Sunday's readings can teach us. The subject of our study this month will be the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Genesis 18:1-10

A famous Rublev icon, made for the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Moscow, reflects the common, ancient interpretation of this scene as a pre-Incarnational manifestation of the Trinity. In it, three angels with identical faces but differing garments symbolize the three Persons of the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are presented gathered around a small, square altar table with the figure of the Father on the left and the figure of the Spirit on the right, forming a chalice shape that encloses the Son in the center.

The Trinitarian interpretation of this text is encouraged by the ambiguity of the terms describing the scene in Genesis 18. It begins, "The Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre," and yet we find out that the manifestation is of "three men." Recent scholarly opinion suggests that one of the three is some sort of epiphany of God and the other two angels. That is supported by what follows in verse 22 where we read, "the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the Lord remained standing before Abraham." The patristic voice is not unanimous on whether this is a full Trinitarian manifestation or a pre-Incarnational appearance of the Word.

In either case, Abraham offers hospitality to the three beings, and finds he is entertaining his God. That, we will see, is the theme of the gospel text. Here, Abraham and Sarah learn of the impending conception and birth of Isaac, the child of promise. As the story unfolds, this only beloved son of Abraham will eventually be offered to God as a sacrifice. God will provide a ram in place of Isaac, who is spared. In the Gospel for this Sunday, we will see the women of Bethany offer hospitality to their God. He, the only beloved Son of the Father, is the true sacrifice foreshadowed by the offering of Isaac.

Colossians 1:24-28

As has already been mentioned, the Epistle readings are not necessarily tied to the first reading and the Gospel passage. But the unity of the Scriptures-that unity which is supplied by the central figure of Christ-means that homilists often need not strain too much to find links. Several points present themselves from this passage in Colossians. In this letter to the largely Gentile church at Colossae, Paul is responding to the influence of some who have been enticing the believers there to take up practices derived from the old Jewish law. Paul must remind them that the Christ they had received is not only the fulfillment of all the requirements of the old law, but the very purpose for all of God's work from creation to eternity. As Paul notes a few verses earlier, "in him all things hold together."

In Christ, Judaism and its ritual and other requirements are not abolished, but completed. Just as fruit bursts forth on a tree, the work of the tree is not abolished but completed. Judaism is now expressed in this new people-the Church. Christ, the full fruit of Judaism, discloses the purpose of the tree of Judaism. This is the "mystery hidden from ages and generations past but now revealed to his holy ones." This means a "glory beyond price" for these Colossian Gentiles who formerly appeared to be outside the plan of God for the Jews.

This is the Gospel, the good news of Christ. There is a freshness about it as we hear it expressed in Paul's letters. And we ought to turn to them to be reminded of it often. The greatest mystery, the very reason for the universe itself, "the full measure of wisdom" has been revealed, and is revealed anew to each Christian generation. This reading from Colossians serves as a bridge between Genesis and Luke by reminding us of this great mystery, formerly hidden in the heart of God, to which we have been given access in Christ.

Luke 10:38-42

Mary and Martha have become emblems of two basic tendencies in every Christian soul. So much so that we will sometimes say, "she is a Mary" or "he is a Martha," by which we mean that the former shows a propensity for prayer and the latter for good works. These two women of Bethany, a town less than two miles east of Jerusalem, had the privilege of having our Lord as a frequent guest. During the week leading up to His passion, they hosted Him nightly while He spent the days preaching in Jerusalem.

This short episode comes at the beginning of that long section in Luke's Gospel (9:51-19:27) where, after His Galilean ministry in the north, Jesus has headed south to preach in Judea in preparation for His entry into Jerusalem. It immediately follows the parable of the Good Samaritan and may well have been placed here by Luke as a commentary on it.

In answer to those who might be tempted to believe that good works like those performed by the Good Samaritan are sufficient for the Christian, Jesus says clearly that the way of prayer is primary-"the better part." The reason for this is clear. "Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and listened to his words" is in a much better position to do His will, having heard it. Whereas, "Martha, who was busy with the details of hospitality" is said to be "anxious and upset" and is so because she has not taken the time to listen to the Lord first. Obviously, Martha isn't denigrated for her concern for the welfare of her guests. Jesus simply reorders her priorities, as we would say today.

The evangelist John seems to note the same propensities toward prayer and action in these two sisters of Bethany. In the story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11), we see the same sort of dynamic being played out. Martha first comes out to meet the Lord, and Mary remains in the house, suggestive again of the two dispositions. One goes out to meet the Lord in the world while the other remains, we might say, within herself, in prayer. Both prayer and service are Christian requirements. But they belong in that order-prayer, and then service. In the story from John's Gospel, Jesus moves to raise the dead Lazarus only after the demonstration of emotion by Mary. We even hear that in response to her tears, "Jesus wept." It is not that Jesus doesn't love Martha. John, in fact, goes out of his way to say, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister" at the beginning of the story, placing Martha first.

Every Christian soul will find itself torn between the dual goods of service and prayer. The Gospels make clear in every instance that to unite our action to the will of God we must first sit at the feet of the Lord. But He also assures us that when we serve others, we are serving Him. The Mass and the Lectionary provide us with the best opportunity to do just that, to learn His will before we serve.

To sum up, in our first reading, the Holy Trinity, although not yet formally revealed, and the Christ, who has not yet entered time, are found in a mysterious scene of hospitality offered to "the Lord." Paul reminds us in our second reading of the benefit of the full revelation of the mystery in Christ, which helps us to see this mysterious scene of hospitality. We now find in this Gospel passage that the best hospitality we can provide Him is a heart open to Him in prayer. That, in short, is the lesson provided by the pairing of these reading in Ordinary Time. By this one example we can see that the Lectionary is the primary textbook in the school of wisdom that is the mystery revealed in Christ. And there is certainly nothing ordinary about that!

Reflection Questions:

How would you rate your commitment to prayer? More importantly, how would Jesus rate your commitment to prayer? Are you a Mary before you are a Martha?