Genesis 18:1-10 / Colossians 1:24-28 / Luke 10:38-42
Our eyes are important to us. They help us to see and to make our way along in life.
Certainly, good vision is an asset, but it can only be an asset when good vision enlightens the mind to make a good decision and to say the right things.
There is a story of a man who had just drawn his pay on Friday. But instead of going home, he went to the casino and stayed out the whole weekend and spent his entire paycheck.
When he finally appeared at home on Sunday evening, he was confronted by a very angry wife and was barraged for nearly two hours with a ranting befitting his actions.
Finally, his wife stopped the nagging and simply said to him, "How would you like it if you didn't see me for two or three days?"
To which he replied, "That would be fine with me."
Monday went by and he didn't see his wife. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went by with the same results.
Thursday, the swelling in his eyes went down just enough for him to see his wife a little bit : 0
Just a funny case of how the eyes can be useless when the mind is blind and the mouth says all the wrong things.
Yes, our eyes are important in so much as they can see.
But our eyes are important not for how they look or what they look at, but for what they see and how they see.
In the 1st reading, Abraham was sitting at the entrance of the tent. It was the hottest part of the day.
He looked up and he saw three men standing near him. Now it was the hottest time of the day, and he could have gone in back to his tent and pretend that he didn’t see those three men.
Instead, Abraham got up and ran to greet them and offered them the best hospitality he could.
At that hottest time of the day when he could have looked away and pretended that he didn’t see anything, what he saw caught his heart and he acted on it. And for that he was blessed and rewarded.
Yes, God’s blessings come, and they come at the hottest time, at the most unlikely time, at the most unexpected time and at the most inconvenient time.
So it is not what we look at that matters. It is what we see and what catches our heart. What Abraham saw caught his heart and he also caught God’s blessings.
In the gospel, Martha and Mary welcomed Jesus into their home. But they welcomed Him in different ways.
Mary sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to Him speaking. Martha did the serving. Then she got distracted with all the serving when she saw Mary sitting there.
And what came forth from her mouth was nothing less than a complaint. She said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.”
And then Jesus gave this profound and memorable teaching: Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one.
Although Jesus said that Mary has chosen the better part, it does not mean that what Martha did was no less better.
What Martha did was equally good, but she gave in to distraction.
Her service was her blessing, but she lost her concentration. What could have been her compliment became her complaint.
What we see is the reality before us, and if we don’t like or can’t change the reality, then instead of complaining, we need to change the eyes that see the reality.
And then we will be able to see how God is blessing us. God’s blessings come to us at the hottest time, at the most unlikely time, at the most unexpected time and at the most inconvenient time.
But may we see God’s blessings in situations and circumstances such as these:
Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that we pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout the journey. So pray always. It is a blessing.
Why is a car’s windshield so large & the rear view mirror so small?
Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on with God’s blessings
Friendship is like book. It takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write. Good friends are a blessing.
Old friends are like gold! New friends are like diamonds! If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold! Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!
All things in life are temporary. If it’s going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If it’s going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either. Just keep counting our blessings.
Often, when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, "Relax, my child, it's just a bend, not the end!
When God solves our problems, we have faith in His abilities; when God doesn't solve our problems, then He has faith in our abilities. May we be able to see that.
A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"
When we pray for others, God listens to us and blesses them, and when we are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for us.
Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, but it takes away today's peace.
So let us not worry and fret about so many things. Only few are needed; indeed only one.
May we have the eyes to see which is the one.
Abraham saw it and was blessed. Mary saw it and was blessed.
May we also see it and be blessed.