16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C - At the Feet of the Teacher & ‘Return to God’

Friends, the story of Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary complements the story of the Good Samaritan, which we reflected upon last weekend.

Both stories are unique to the Gospel of Luke. The story of the Samaritan opens with the words “a certain man.” This weekend’s reading opens with the words “a certain woman.” The Samaritan is an example of how a disciple should see and act. Mary is an example of how a disciple should listen. Mary, a woman, is a marginalized person in society, like the Samaritan. Both do what is not expected of them. As a woman, Mary would be expected, like Martha, to prepare hospitality for a guest. Here again Jesus breaks with the social conventions of his time. Just as a Samaritan would not be a model for neighborliness, so a woman would not sit with the men around the feet of a teacher.

 

Both stories exemplify how a disciple is to fulfill the dual command which begins in chapter 10—love of God (Mary) and love of neighbor (the Samaritan). These are the two essentials of life in the kingdom. By using the examples of a Samaritan and a woman, however, Jesus is saying something more. Social codes and boundaries were strict in Jesus' time. Yet to love God with all one's heart and one's neighbor requires breaking those rules. The Kingdom of God is a society without distinctions and boundaries between its members. It is a society that requires times for seeing and doing and also times for listening and learning at the feet of a teacher.

In honor of this reading, we would like to share our latest video, "Return to God", a beloved song that resonates with many Christians during the season of Lent and for Masses with themes of reconciliation, forgiveness and mercy.

Video can be watched by clicking here or by clicking on the thumbnail below.