2016/07/17&24 — 16th & 17th Sundays in Ordinary Time — Year C

Sorry: I got way behind in my posting, but I want to say a little about the past two Sundays' readings before I do what I hope will be a normal post about next Sunday's.

July 17 — 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The central theme of the readings seems to be hospitality. The first reading — Genesis 18:1-10a — tells of Abraham extending hospitality to three men (angels or apparitions of God) who approach his tent. He treats them lavishly, and at the end of the passage, one of them promises him that his wife Sarah, will have a son by the same time next year. Hospitality was considered an obligation in that culture. In Christian thought, given the developments in the continuation of the story, the three visitors are seen as an adumbration of the Trinity: God, investigating Sodom and Gomorrah, appears not as one man, but as three. In the gospel — Luke 10:38-42 — Martha busies herself providing lavish hospitality for Jesus. He tells her, in effect, that she's overdoing it, and that listening to his teaching is better than excessive work.

I see three aspects to the teaching on hospitality. First, we need to offer hospitality to those who need it: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Matthew 24:35 Second, Jesus wants us to receive him, to welcome him, by hearing his teaching and being his disciples. Third, Jesus gives us his hospitality, feeding us his body and blood to give us eternal life in his home.

The second reading — Colossians 1:24-28 — is a dazzling sequence of thoughts about Paul's work and God's plan for our salvation. His sufferings (and by implication ours as well) can somehow complete Christ's for the sake of the Church. God is extending salvation to the Gentiles.


July 24 — 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Today, the theme of the first reading and the gospel is prayer. The gospel — Luke 11:1-13 — presents Jesus' teaching on prayer. First he gives the Our Father as a model of prayer. Then he presents a parable about persistence in prayer. God wants us to persevere in our prayers. Jesus assures us that our prayers will be answered by God giving us good things. He does not give us the equivalent of a snake when we ask for a fish nor a scorpion instead of the egg we ask for. Specifically, he will give us the Holy Spirit. I'd also note, although it's only implied in Jesus' words, that the Father also doesn't give us bad (for us) things even if we wan them. He'll give us a fish if we ask for a snake, and an egg when we unwisely want a scorpion. He knows better than we do what it is we really need.

In the first reading — Genesis 18:20-32 — the story of Abraham and his visitors resumes. God reveals his intentions toward Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham's intercession on their behalf is an example of the importance of prayer. God's "threats" are better understood as warnings of what will happen if people do not heed what God says. Although the men of the two cities do not reform, Abraham (like Paul last week filling up what is lacking in Christ's sufferings) through his persistent prayer gains a significant reprieve for them.

The second reading — Colossians 2:12-14 — tells us that baptism makes us sharers in Jesus' burial and  resurrection. It applies Jesus' saving action to us, so that our sins are cancelled. We now live with his life.

Thanksgiving 2014

The pictures in MartininBroda's most recent post were so attractive that they reminded me of the delicious meal I had on Thanksgiving — even though none of the foods were the same.

As has happened for several recent Thanksgivings, two fellow parishioners invited my brother and me to join them for Thanksgiving dinner. I offered to provide pumpkin and mince pies and sage cheese. The former were available in the freezer at the supermarket, needing only to be "home baked," as my mother used to say.

As for the cheese, a cheddar type with sage added to flavor it, it has been years since I've been able to find it in stores around here. This is disappointing, since I believe it is a traditional type, unlike some of the more recent types of flavored cheeses. My dad was pleased to find it one year, a long time ago, and have something which had been customary in his family (and I imagine in others).  But this year, finally, I realized that I should go online to the manufacturer and order it. They were producing a fresh batch which was not ready to be released when I placed the order, but on Monday the 24th it was shipped,and it arrived the day before the holiday.

On the evening of the 26th, I called the hostess to verify what I would be bringing, and she informed me that she was cooking the pumpkin pie. It was in the oven at that moment, so all I needed to bring was the mince pie and the cheese. So I went out and got a bottle of wine to add to my offerings.

In addition to the hostess and her husband, the dinner group included a couple from Ohio whom they knew from when both couples lived in Texas, a 50ish fellow parishioner, and the widow who lives next door, who turned out to be the widow of a member of the Race Committee at the yacht club, someone we've known for maybe 25 years, although we hadn't seen her recently.

We started with shrimp and a fairly mild sauce, roasted cashews, celery and olives, and some of the sage cheese, which everybody enjoyed. Also a nice white wine. Dinner was, of course, roast turkey. There was a somewhat spicy stuffing of ground beef and pork and imperceptible breadcrumbs, gravy, mashed potatoes, a casserole of sliced yams, three kinds of cranberry sauce, and a green salad. More white wine accompanied it all.

Then it was time for a walk. I took the menfolk to see two nearby houses, one of which had been the winter home of a family my brother and I had known as teenagers. The house next door was that family's summer home!

After the walk, it was time for dessert: pumpkin, mince, and pecan pies, sage cheese, whipped cream, ice cream, tea, and coffee. I had the pumpkin, a bit of the mince, whipped cream, cheese, and coffee. Surprisingly, since the host husband and the Ohioans were all originally from Texas or Oklahoma, the pecan pie had the fewest takers.

Throughout the afternoon, there was enjoyable conversation, mostly personal reminiscences, with never an argument. So it was a very enjoyable five hours. I have prepared Thanksgiving dinner for my brother and me, but even when I get the smallest turkey I can find — 10-11pounds — there is too much left over. This is definitely a better way to celebrate the day, and I'm glad there are kind people who want to provide the hospitality.