Holiness, mercy and tolerance go hand in hand
Published: August 16, 2019
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily July 21.
In our readings today, we have people attending to their guests. In our first reading divine messengers announce that Sarah in her old age will conceive a son, Isaac, through whom God’s promises will be fulfilled.
Abraham sits down to converse with them and listen to them, which was a man’s customary role in welcoming guests, while Sarah busies herself with the women’s work, preparing a surprisingly non-kosher roast beef dinner for them, meat and milk served together.
The Jewish dietary laws had not yet been promulgated, but even so, the biblical writers could easily have left out the reference to dairy products, which are forbidden in meals in which meat is consumed.
Notice how in the Bible not everything is black and white, neat and simple. Holiness requires mercy and mercy requires a certain amount of ambiguity tolerance. So God’s messengers ate a non-kosher meal.
Mercy is the difference between holiness and righteousness.
In today’s Gospel Martha and Mary of Bethany welcome Jesus into their home, through whom far greater promises of God will be fulfilled.
Like Abraham in our first reading, Mary sits down to listen to him, while Martha busies herself with the women’s work. The food she prepared was probably kosher, but what was not kosher for Martha was that Mary wasn’t
Article source: https://www.arkansas-catholic.org/columns/column/6162/Holiness-mercy-and-tolerance-go-hand-in-hand