By Kielce Gussie
Marking his third Sunday at the papal summer residence in the Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV presided over Mass for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time at the nearby Cathedral of Albano.
At the start of his homily, the Pope joked about having to change in plans to visit Albano back in May. “As you know, I was supposed to arrive on May 12, but the Holy Spirit had other plans. Still, I’m truly happy to be here, and with this sense of fraternity and Christian joy, I greet all of you present.”
Reflecting upon the first reading and the Gospel, he said these passages call us to reflect on hospitality, service, and listening.
Good hosts
The Pope first looked at the the first reading from Genesis where three men visit Abraham “in the heat of the day”. Pope Leo pointed out how Abraham’s response to these visitors as master of the house was one of hospitality.
With this attitude, the atmosphere changed and, as the Pope highlighted, “the afternoon’s stillness is filled with gestures of love” from Abraham, his wife Sarah, and their servants. In that setting, God shares the news the couple had been waiting for: they will have a son.
This encounter encourages us to reflect on how God chose the path of hospitality to enter into Abraham and Sarah’s lives.
Twin dimensions of hospitality
Turning to the Gospel, Pope Leo commented on how the passage “teaches us about God’s way of acting.” Jesus came as a guest in the house of Martha and Mary, not as a stranger but as a friend during a celebration.
The two sisters react to their guest in very different ways: Martha welcomes him by serving, while Mary sits at his feet to listen to him. Jesus responded to Martha’s comments by inviting her to see the value of listening. Yet, the Pope stressed that “it would be incorrect, however, to see these two attitudes as mutually exclusive, or to compare the merits of the two women.” Service and listening, he said are “twin dimensions of hospitality.”
When striving to live these two aspects in our daily lives, our relationship with God must come first and we need to live out our faith through concrete actions, according to our state in life. But we can only do this after reflecting on the Word of God and listening for the Holy Spirit. In order to do this, the Pope called us to dedicate times of silence and prayer, eliminating distractions, so we can focus on God and give him space to speak to us.
He argued “this is a dimension of the Christian life that we particularly need to recover today, both as a value for individuals and communities, and as a prophetic sign for our times.” The Pope pointed out that summer is a good moment to push for this and experience the beauty of our relationship with God and how it can help us be more open to others.
Summer vacation and God
As summer often offers more free time to reflect and spend time with others, Pope Leo challenged everyone to “make good use of this, by leaving behind the whirlwind of commitments and worries in order to savor a few moments of peace and reflection” and to visit others.
Summer can be an opportunity to care for others, get to know them, and listen to them. These are all expressions of love, the Pope explained, of which we are all in need. He argued that if we courageously try to live these out, we will be promoting a culture of peace, “helping those around us to overcome divisions and hostility and to build communion between individuals, peoples and religions.”
Recognizing that this demands effort and sacrifices, Pope Leo stressed that it is in these efforts that “something worthwhile can be built in life.” Listening to and serving others is the only way to create and strengthen genuine relationships with others.
Thank you for your service
At the end of Mass, Pope Leo presented the Bishiop of Albano, Vincenzo Viva, with a chasuble. “We present this gift to His Excellency, an expression of our closeness to his diocesan Church, with the hope that the Lord’s blessing may always accompany you. Thank you for your service and thank you to your poeple.” – Vatican News
