Looking Back
As we journey through the Gospel of Luke, be aware that the entire Gospel is written as a pilgrimage towards Jerusalem. The destination is the suffering and death and Resurrection of Christ. I hope our recent year-long pilgrimage heightens your appreciation of this unique characteristic of the third Gospel. As with the other Gospels in the three-year cycle of different readings, we hear passages each week that sometimes come immediately following the previous week’s passage, but often the passages are not chronologically presented so as to properly fit the rhythms of the Church year.
The current series of weeks give us the continual readings of a section of Luke, just as you would read it as you read a book. The five questions in last week’s Gospel, highlighted by “Who is my neighbor?” give us all significant material to reflect on. The first question from last week’s gospel was, “What must I DO to attain eternal life?” Notice the emphasis on DO. The scholar who is asking Jesus questions can read and recite the Law, but he is struggling with how to DO it. The adage Actions speak louder than words is given a powerful spin as a result of these questions. In the abundant legality of our lives, reciting and reading expresses the Law; doing brings about compassion.
The awful events of the Highland Park Fourth of July parade offer us opportunities to see the Highland Park community as our neighbors, and to see how many people have stepped forward to DO the acts of compassion that have brought about a beginning of healing.
Looking Ahead
The difference between doing and reflecting is presented in this week’s passage from Luke that follows immediately on that of last week. Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary, the sisters of his good friend Lazarus. Martha is busy with the details of hospitality. She is getting her home ready for a very important visitor. I believe we can all relate to this when we are preparing for guests. She is doing the tasks, but she is also anxious about many things. Don’t we often heighten stress as we do the activities of life while simultaneously worrying about many other things? Don’t we even at times DO tasks to try to take our mind off of what bothers us?
Martha’s sister Mary recognizes the importance of focusing on the presence of Jesus. She sits at his feet as if to hang on every word and action that he does. She honors his presence by listening to him. Martha feels abandoned in the doing of her tasks. Mary’s lack of help furthers her stress and anxiety. Jesus points this out. Let us not pit doing against reflecting; rather we have an opportunity to see how they complement each other.
Two New Features
I want to introduce two features of my weekly articles that will be ongoing. One is A Little About Work. My hope is to share my philosophy of work with you – namely that our work is God’s work and just how pervasive work is in our lives. I have a real passion for connecting our work with God’s and I want to share that with you regularly. The other feature is Ministry Spotlight which will regularly present details of one of over 100 ministries here at Holy Family
A Little Bit About Work
The word work is so pervasive in our culture. It most often refers to our livelihood, our job, our focus. Synonyms such as toil, labor, and exertion give it a rather negative feel. I define work as
any effort we put forth to continue God’s work. I believe that we work at and with many other people and elements in ways that are much more positive and life-giving. If we see our work as an extension of and in partnership with God’s work, it can be much more uplifting.
Ministry Spotlight
Hospitality. We take pride here at Holy Family in offering people the opportunity to continue the sense of community and welcome after Mass. We are in need of additional teams to make and pour coffee and drinks. You can cook or bake some goodies if you wish, but there are currently people who do so. Simply arrive a few minutes before Mass, plate and serve treats and clean up after. Right now you would only have to serve every 4-5 weeks. Encourage others who are outgoing and friendly to inquire, or contact Sue Geegan at sgeegan@holyfamilyparish.org yourself for details.