Martha, Mary, and the Mystery of Salvation: Homily for July 20, 2025
Readings and Virtual Homily for July 20, 2025, Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time; LA-bound; Praise Report on San Gabriel Media
Readings for Mass this Sunday:
Genesis 18:1-10
Psalm 15:2-5
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42
Dear Friends and Family,
The Gospel passage (Martha asking Jesus to tell Mary to get off her duff and help with the party) is one of my favorite scenes from all four Gospels. I will likely repeat myself from previous homilies, talks, and written analyses, when discussing the passage. I can't help myself. I am too much a fan of Martha not to insist on giving her some credit in the situation.
Before getting to the Gospel, though, we have a reading from Genesis which also pertains to hospitality: Abraham and Sarah receiving the three visitors who tell them that in a year's time they will have a son. Scripture scholars generally agree that these three visitors represent the Trinity. One might argue whether they simply represent God (angelic ambassadors, so to speak) or whether, in fact, the Three Persons decided to appear to Abraham and Sarah in human form. I am not going to weigh in on that question; it is above the pay-grade of a parish priest.
Whichever interpretation one prefers, the visitors allow themselves to be attended to by Abraham and Sarah (taking rest in the shade of the spreading oak tree near the tent, bathing their feet in water Abraham provides for just that purpose and so on). A full meal is quickly prepared for them, and the visitors genially accept the hospitality, again, assuring Abraham within Sarah's hearing that at this same time next year, they will return and that at that time, the aged patriarch and his wife will have a son.
I want to say this about the passage (and this observation runs a parallel to what I have to say about Martha, below): Sarah laughs, when she hears the visitors assuring her husband that they will have a son in a year's time (vs. 12, outside today's passage). Sarah is called out for laughing (vss. 13-15). It seems that everyone who knows anything about the history of salvation knows that Sarah laughed at the thought that she might conceive a child at her age.
Far less well known: Abraham also laughed. Laughed in the very presence of God. Laughed so hard and so well that he "fell face down and laughed" (Genesis 17:17). He is not rebuked for his disbelief; he is only reassured that he and Sarah will conceive, will have a son and that they will name him Isaac (vs. 19). I am not going to comment further on this set of facts. I merely point them out.
Psalm 15 asks what one must do to "abide in your (that is, God's) tent" (vs. 1) and goes on in four fairly dense verses to describe qualities of discipleship.
The passage from the Letter to the Colossians actually connects to the first reading (and without too much stretching may also be connected to the passage from the Gospel) in that Paul speaks of "the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past;" the mystery of the plan of salvation fully revealed in Jesus Christ (vs. 26).
This mystery, of course, starts with Abraham and Sarah, starts with their obedience, their faith and their willingness to cooperate with God's plan, even when it seems to them impossible. One of the visitors assures Sarah, in that scene, "Is anything too marvelous for the Lord to do?" (vs. 14, again beyond the verses for today's reading). The visitor's assurance to Sarah is echoed centuries later by Gabriel's assurances to Mary, with regard both to her conception of the Messiah, and the fact that Elizabeth has conceived a son "in her old age..for nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:36-37).
This mystery, the mystery of the plan of salvation kept hidden, as Paul says, for ages and many generations, now revealed in Jesus of Nazareth, leads us directly into the Gospel passage, where we find Mary of Bethany seated at the feet of the Lord, drinking in the wonders of the cosmos and the beauty of the plan of salvation, while her sister Martha notices that they need more Corona and Heineken at the tiki bar on the far side of the pool.
Martha, Mary and Lazarus were wealthy. We have this understanding from the tradition of the saints, but we may easily infer it as well from the scenes in which they appear in the Gospels. The spikenard with which Mary anoints Jesus shortly before the crucifixion was worth, according to John, "three hundred days' wages" (John 12:5). Mary saw fit to break open the vase and pour it over the Lord. She, her sister and her brother were not poor.
The party described in today's Gospel passage was likely thrown for the entire village of Bethany, where the three siblings lived. That Martha, Mary and Lazarus lived in Bethany is another indicator of their high social status. The town was a wealthy suburb, so to speak, of Jerusalem. Martha, Mary and Lazarus were good friends of Jesus, by the time of this party. They were likely giving the party so that their friends and neighbors in Bethany could meet the Lord.
It was no doubt a fancy party, with loving attention paid to every detail. We know from other Gospel passages that Martha was an experienced and accomplished hostess (again, see John 12). She complains that Mary has left her to see to the many guests herself, but rest assured, though busy she was, a large part of Martha's business was overseeing the servants, of which she and her siblings no doubt had at least several. Martha's concern was for the comfort of their guests, and when we stop to consider that the three of them -- Martha, Mary and Lazarus -- very likely agreed together to throw this large party, I at least find Martha's objection more than reasonable.
Far be it from me to argue with my Lord and Savior: "Mary has chosen the better part" (vs. 42), the Lord assures Martha; that is, Mary has chosen to learn about the great mystery hidden for ages and now revealed in Jesus.
So yeah...okay...they are still in need of more beer at the tiki bar on the far side of the pool. Just sayin'...You say you are going to throw a party and invite the whole town and...then you sit at the feet of the Lord, drinking in the great mystery of the plan of salvation. Let the guests fend for themselves.
Whatever. Jesus himself says this is the better part. It is my duty as a Catholic priest to stress that point. So there. It is stressed. Me and Martha? Let's get some Corona and Heineken to the tiki bar.
I like to say that if it were not for the Marthas of the world we would all starve to death.
I can (I have) said so much more about Martha as a disciple, about her selflessness, about her strength, about the unbelievable depth of her faith. I could extend this homily by several more paragraphs examining these aspects of her character. But I imagine you get my point, and in any event, it is off-topic with regard to the message of today's Gospel passage, which might be summed up as -- it is better to contemplate the mysteries of the cosmos and the plan of salvation than to organize and successfully bring off even the most elaborate and awe-inspiring social events. To be a great hostess is no small matter. It only looks that way when you compare it to being a great mystic.
I am headed to SoCal this week, the first of several forays south this sabbatical. San Gabriel Media is headquartered in Los Angeles (that is one of the reasons for the name itself -- LA is home to the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Gabriel Valley). My bro Dan, who is the business brains of the operation (and a surprisingly "Mary"-type of disciple, compared to my definitive male version of Martha) and I need a long and in-depth strategy session. We have not met in person about business since last July. Zoom, e-mails and texts are great. But now and again, face-to-face is just necessary.
I also have a major media-business meeting in San Diego, and in both LA and SD we will be planning filming dates, program release schedules, book print runs, and more, this coming week. I am driving (I never fly to LA) but do not worry -- I have checked and at present, at least, no visa is required for Bay Area residents to enter the South State (LOL)!
On the subject of San Gabriel Media, our summer You Tube marketing campaign continues to produce results. We are verging on 200,000 subscribers worldwide. My colleagues at San Gabriel and I are hugely gratified at this initial success, but You Tube is only one of several venues for our marketing strategy, and in any event, not one of us considers 200,000 subscribers anything more than a promising start. Our ambitions at San Gabriel are not small. There is no reason they should be. This is the Gospel. This is "the good news of great joy that shall be for all people" (Luke 2:10). We are aiming for the largest audience our efforts can legitimately reach. None of us knows where the limit is. We just feel duty-bound to reach it.
I'll close it with that happy report.
Take care. God bless.
El Padre