Readings
Reading I: Genesis 18:1-10 |
Preaching TipPreaching Misquotes: “Let Go and let God”
From time to time, one hears in Catholic preaching certain quotes or spiritual platitudes that sound nice, but which are false. These false spiritual platitudes can even hurt people. We do need to be careful of our words!
A preaching tip is to do a little fact-checking and a little theological reflection when we borrow a quote, spiritual platitude, or a second-hand story.
There is a common saying that goes like this: "Let go and let God".
This can be a comforting phrase, as it encourages individuals to surrender their worries and trust in God's providence.
However, a Catholic might approach this phrase with caution for several reasons:
Balance of Faith and Works Our Catholic faith emphasizes the importance of both faith and works. While trusting in God is fundamental, Catholics are also called to actively participate in their faith through good deeds, sacraments, and moral living. The phrase might inadvertently suggest a passive approach, neglecting the active cooperation with God's grace.
The Role of Free Will Our faith teaches that humans have free will and are responsible for their choices. Simply "letting go" might imply relinquishing personal responsibility, which contradicts the Catholic understanding of free will and moral agency.
Active Discernment We are encouraged to engage in active discernment, seeking God's will through prayer, reflection, and guidance from the Church. The phrase might oversimplify this process, overlooking the need for thoughtful decision-making and spiritual growth. We also have to at times “step out in faith”. God may not always lead the way with bright lights and road maps. Rather, he may wish for us to grope about in the darkness of faith for a time.
Making Problems Worse There are people who will try to “let go” of worries and cares and will try to count on God to step in and solve the immediate problem, and the problem will not only not go away, but will get worse because of the person’s delayed action.
For these reasons, in our preaching, we may wish to nuance this phrase or to be careful not to use it too often. |
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
MARÍA HA ESCOGIDO LA MEJOR PARTE
Hermanas y hermanos:
Si hay algún modelo perfecto de cómo podemos acoger a Jesús, lo encontramos en la escena de Marta y María. Marta se esmera en servir a Jesús, mientras María, sentada delante de él, le hace compañía, le da conversación, le escucha y se muestra receptiva a su mensaje. Ambas hermanas aportan los elementos de una buena acogida a Jesús: Marta, el servicio amoroso y María, la apertura del corazón.
1. Marta es activa: Se ocupa en un trabajo que efectivamente hay que hacer. Pero sus afanes de orden, no la dejan ver el rostro de su huésped. Quizá está acostumbrada a que Cristo venga a su casa y su presencia ya no le dice lo mismo que el primer día.
A nosotros nos puede ocurrir con frecuencia; vivimos muy pendientes de las cosas: la diversión, los caprichos, las ilusiones, la atención a los demás. Tenemos tiempo para todo y no sabemos estar con nosotros mismos; buscamos las satisfacciones exteriores y somos incapaces de disfrutar de la paz interior. Ocupados en el afán de tener, de mejorar nuestra posición, de hacer cosas, perdemos la armonía interior, la paz del espíritu, el silencio creador.
2. María es contemplativa: Prefiere estar al lado de Cristo escuchándolo, haciéndolo descansar. Estaba tan feliz que no se le pasó por la mente preparar la mesa. Ella había elegido la mejor parte: estar con el huésped conocido, pero único y especial; lo atendería como si fuera el primer día. La mesa y la comida la tenía todos los días, pero a Cristo lo tenía hoy. Así debería ser nuestra actitud ante Jesús que nos visita amorosamente: acoger su presencia por la fe, la confianza y el amor. Después, recibir su mensaje, hacer caso de su palabra, asimilar los valores que él nos propone.
3. Estar con Cristo es lo que vale la pena escoger: Cristo nos deja una enseñanza. En nuestra vida hay muchas cosas importantes, muchos deberes qué cumplir, pero tenemos que elegir la mejor parte: permanecer con Cristo. Nunca nos arrepentiremos de esta elección. No nos acostumbremos como Marta a tener a Cristo en la casa y ocuparnos demasiado en nuestras cosas olvidándonos de él. La fuente de nuestra felicidad es él. Y permanecer con él debe ser nuestra tarea.
Seamos como María que escucha atenta la palabra de Dios, la medita en su corazón, aprende a mirar las cosas desde el punto de vista de la eternidad. Al mismo tiempo seamos como Marta diligentes, serviciales, generosos y alegres. Es necesario tener el corazón de María y las manos de Marta. ¿Por qué no intentamos convertir la celebración del domingo en un espacio semanal de escucha y acogida como Marta y María?
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
MARY HAS CHOSEN THE BETTER PART
Brothers and Sisters:
If there is a perfect model of how we can welcome Jesus, we find it in the scene of Martha and Mary. Martha is working hard to serve Jesus, while Mary is seated in front of him, keeping him company and conversing with him, listening to him and being receptive to his message. Both sisters show important elements for welcoming Jesus properly: Martha offers her loving service and Mary, her openness of heart.
1. Martha is active: She is busy with the work that indeed needs to be done. But her desire for order doesn't allow her to see her guest's face. Maybe she is already used to having Christ come to her house, so his presence isn't as meaningful as the first day he came.
The same thing can often happen to us; we get very caught up with things: entertainment, whims, dreams, paying attention to others. We have time for everything and we don't even know how to rest within ourselves; we look for external satisfaction without being able to enjoy interior peace. Caught up in the desire to have, to improve our status, to do things, we lose our interior harmony, our peace of spirit, our creative silence.
2. Mary is contemplative: She prefers to be at Christ's side, listening to him and helping him rest. She was so happy that it didn't even cross her mind that she needed to get the meal ready. She had chosen the better part: be with the familiar guest who is so unique and special; she would pay attention to him as if it were the first day. Food and meals could be had every day, but she had Christ today. That should be our attitude towards Jesus who comes to visit us with love: welcome his presence with faith, trust and love. And then, receive his message, listen to his word, assimilate the values he offers us.
3. It's worthwhile choosing to be with Christ: Christ leaves us a lesson. In our lives there are lots of important things, many duties to carry out, but we have to choose the better part: staying with Christ. Let us never regret making this choice. Let us never grow used to having Christ in our home like Martha did, getting so occupied in our own things that we forget about him. He is the source of our happiness. And our only task should be to stay with him.
Let us, like Mary, listen attentively to the word of God and meditate on it in our hearts, learning to see things from the perspective of eternity. At the same time, let us, like Martha, be diligent, service-oriented, generous and joyful. We need to have Mary's heart and Martha's hands. Why don't we try to make each Sunday's celebration into a weekly opportunity to listen to and welcome Christ, like Martha and Mary?