TrulyGrace

WED- Bible Study with Fr. Paul Werley

This morning, Mom and Dad and I went to Bible study with newly minted Fr. Paul Werley.  There were about fifteen of us present, and Fr. Paul facilitated the group for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C).  The readings were:

First Reading:  Gn 18:1-10a

Second Reading:  Col 1:24-28

and the Gospel reading was about Martha and Mary:
Lk 10:38-42


For the first reading, we discussed hospitality, history of kosher dietary (Mosaic) laws, and the main important message to Abraham and to us:  The invocation by one of the messengers in the last sentence of the first reading.

I proclaimed aloud the second reading for our study group.  We were puzzled for a bit about the first sentence of the second reading.  Fr. Paul suggested that Christ left a role for each of us to participate in the fullness of the life of the Church.  Though the (Greek-based) word mysterium (a.k.a. the Latin-based sacramentum) was used twice in the reading, the main message is keeping Christ central to the Faith.

The Gospel reading shows hospitality (as displayed by Martha), as does the first reading, but, perhaps because it is traditionally a female role in that time frame, Martha asks Jesus annoyedly and expectantly why her counterpart Mary is not participating in this role.  Jesus saw Martha's inner spirit, and reminds her that the contemplative is just as important as the actions which one does.  Perhaps, the contemplative is most central, but most at risk in their way of life.  He does not suggest that faith is greater than deeds; rather, faith AND deeds go together to find Christ; faith and deeds do not work against each other.
Mary and Martha act as icons or symbols of faith and deeds.  These symbols coexist within each person in the Church.  At the end of the morning, I made the last comment on the passage, that Christ (in the Gospel reading) shed light on other, non-traditional roles [of women, and of all followers] through his interactions with Martha and Mary.

posted by Grace @ 7/13/2016 08:06:00 PM