Theme:
“Remaining in Service – Growing through Listening”
Readings:
Genesis 18:1–10a → https://www.bibleserver.com/EU/Gen18%2C1-10
Colossians 1:24–28 → https://www.bibleserver.com/EU/Kol1%2C24-28
Luke 10:38–42 → https://www.bibleserver.com/EU/Lk10%2C38-42
Dear friends of the Kevelaer Prayer Atelier,
We live in a time of constant activity: work, family, church – everything demands our attention. And at times we feel: only those who "produce" are truly valued. But today’s biblical texts challenge that mindset. They invite us to practice hospitality, to listen attentively – and to not shy away from suffering for Christ’s sake.
1. Abraham under the Oaks of Mamre (Genesis 18:1–10a)
In the heat of the day, when one would usually rest, Abraham encounters three mysterious men – messengers of God, as many interpreters say. Without hesitation, he runs to greet them, offers water, bread, a tender calf, and calls Sarah to bake. What seems like simple hospitality turns into a sacred moment: God Himself comes to Abraham.
➡️ Core message: Abraham welcomes unexpected guests and lovingly prepares them a meal. In his service, deep faith is revealed – and God promises: within a year, Sarah will bear a son.
In this passage from Genesis, Abraham is sitting at the entrance of his tent when three men appear. Without hesitation, he jumps up, runs to meet them, and offers water, bread, meat, butter, and milk – a feast under a tree. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear: the Lord Himself is among them (cf. Gen 18:1). Abraham acts spontaneously, selflessly, generously – and thus becomes the host of God.
This scene is rich in meaning. In Christian tradition, the three men have often been interpreted as a symbol of the Trinity – most famously in the icon of Andrei Rublev. The "Oaks of Mamre" are not just a geographic place, but a sacred site of divine encounter through open hearts. As the New Jerusalem Bible highlights, Abraham stands here as an example of “expectant vigilance for God, expressed in care for others.”¹
🕯 Biblical background (Elberfelder Bible): The phrase “Oaks of Mamre” refers to a cultic place. The three men are often seen as a reference to the Trinity (cf. Elberfelder Bibel mit Erklärungen, 9th ed.).
📘 Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel: “The meal at Abraham’s becomes a holy encounter with God. Abraham becomes a model of openness to God's work.”
🪟 In everyday life: Whoever today offers someone a coffee without expectation, listens attentively, cooks a meal – can, like Abraham, become a place of divine encounter.
Hospitality like Abraham: open, generous, without conditions.
Vision for Kevelaer and your city:
A family in the town center regularly invites refugees or elderly people living alone for Sunday coffee. No program – just time shared and ears open.
At the town festival or during pilgrimage summer, members of the Prayer Atelier offer a “place of rest”: a shaded spot with water, cushions, silence, and open-hearted conversation.
> “Like Abraham, they open their tent – in the midst of everyday life. They don’t expect it, but perhaps they will meet the angel of God.”
2. Mary and Martha – between Serving and Listening (Luke 10:38–42)
Jesus visits two women. Martha is bustling – she wants to serve the Master. But Mary sits at His feet and listens. Martha complains, yet Jesus says: “Mary has chosen the better part.”
➡️ Core message: Martha is stressed from serving, Mary listens. Jesus makes clear: listening is no less important than action. It is even the one thing needed.
Mary listens – Martha worries (Luke 10:38–42)
Martha is busy serving. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens. Martha complains – but Jesus replies: “Mary has chosen the better part.” It’s not about either-or, but about the right balance. Listening comes before busyness.
Everyday spiritual life in Kevelaer:
– A woman in the parish team decides to stay silent during a meeting – just listening. She leaves changed.
– A childcare worker at the Antonius Kindergarten deliberately sits in silence for five minutes each morning – not to plan, but to center herself.
> Mary teaches us: True service needs a listening heart. Without inner stillness, we become exhausted. With Christ at the center, our daily lives bear fruit.
🕯 Biblical insight (New Jerusalem Bible): “Mary at Jesus’ feet is an image of a disciple – uncommon in rabbinic Judaism. Jesus breaks social norms.” (Neue Jerusalemer Bibel, p. 1905)
📘 Stuttgarter Commentary: “Martha represents the active life, Mary the contemplative. Jesus does not pit them against each other, but prioritizes hearing God’s Word.”
🪟 In everyday life: How often are we like Martha – active, overbooked, helpful, but stressed. Mary invites us to pause intentionally. Silence is not a luxury, but a necessity for life.
Attention instead of mere activism: balancing Martha and Mary
Parish hall example:
A volunteer realizes she organizes much but rarely listens deeply. She decides to remain silent at a meeting – no announcements, no notes. She discovers: there is depth.
Example in school or senior care:
A young assistant takes five minutes each morning before work – sitting in the chapel or behind the shrine. She tells herself: “Today I will be more present to people than to my to-do list.”
3. Paul and the Sufferings of Christ (Colossians 1:24–28)
Paul writes from prison – and rejoices in his sufferings for the church. In them, he fulfills his service to the “mystery of God”: Christ, the hope of glory, lives in us!
➡️ Core message: Paul endures suffering – not for suffering’s sake, but in service to Christ. This mystery (Christ in us!) is the reason for his hope.
🕯 Interpretation (Elberfelder Bible): The phrase “I fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” does not mean Christ’s suffering was insufficient, but that Paul participates in it personally through service to others.
📘 Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel: “Paul’s sufferings express his love for the church and Christ – a testimony of apostolic discipleship.”
Paul speaks from prison. He rejoices in suffering, as it is part of his mission: Christ among us, the hope of glory. His labor is service to the Body of Christ – the Church.
EXCURSUS: Important clarification –
NO SELF-FLAGELLATION
Paul is not promoting a religious glorification of pain. His suffering is no end in itself, least of all a form of self-punishment. Such practices – still found today in some circles – deeply contradict the spirit of the Gospel. They are heresies that misinterpret suffering and miss the liberating character of Christ’s sacrifice.
Why self-flagellation is not a biblically justified practice – a clarification
1. Definition
Self-flagellation means deliberately inflicting pain or injury upon oneself for “penance” or to “participate in Christ’s suffering.” It has historical roots – e.g. in medieval penitential movements – but persists in extremist or misinformed circles today.
Yet this contradicts both Scripture and Church teaching.
2. What the Bible says
▶ Col 1:24:
“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake …”
→ Paul is not implying that Christ’s suffering is incomplete – rather, he is willing to suffer in love for others, in Christ’s name.
▶ 1 Cor 13:3:
“If I give my body to be burned but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
→ Suffering without love is meaningless.
▶ 1 Cor 6:19–20:
“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
→ Intentionally harming oneself contradicts this core belief.
3. What the Church says
The Catholic Church condemns all forms of self-harm as violations of human dignity.
▶ Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2297):
“Kidnapping, hostage taking, terrorism, torture, and coercion … as well as voluntary mutilations are contrary to the moral law.”
Penance must come from the heart – through conversion, prayer, fasting, reconciliation, and acts of mercy. Physical self-harm is neither necessary nor recommended.
4. What true discipleship means
Christian suffering means:
– remaining patient in injustice;
– serving faithfully despite hardship;
– standing in solidarity with the suffering;
– practicing forgiveness even when difficult.
Christ bore all suffering on the Cross – once for all (Heb 10:10). We may unite our pain with His in love, but we must not crucify ourselves. Our calling is love – not pain.
5. Pastoral guidance
If someone self-harms or feels compelled to suffer for religious reasons, it signals a psychological or spiritual imbalance. Pastoral care, therapy, or spiritual discernment is essential in such cases.
6. Summary of the excursus on self-flagellation
✅ Christian suffering means bearing with love – not destroying oneself.
✅ Christ wants our hearts – not our wounds.
✅ The body is God’s temple – not a target of punishment.
✅ Healthy discipleship manifests in mercy – not violence toward oneself.
Literature references (Chicago style):
– Catechism of the Catholic Church. Munich: Pattloch Verlag, 1993.
– Ratzinger, Joseph. Introduction to Christianity. Munich: Kösel, 2000.
– Elberfelder Bibel mit Erklärungen. 9th ed. Wuppertal: R. Brockhaus Verlag, 2023.
– Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel. 3rd ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2007.
Continued in the sermon…
The apostle suffers because he loves – because he will not give up on his brothers and sisters in Christ, even at personal cost. It is love that sustains – not pain that redeems.
🪟 Everyday life: Even today, there are people who sacrifice themselves – parents, caregivers, teachers, pastors. Their service becomes, in light of this text, an echo of Christ’s love.
Service to the Body of Christ – as Paul in Col 1:24–28
Example from parish or Caritas group:
An elderly man with chronic illness offers listening and spiritual accompaniment to other sufferers – not despite his pain, but because of it. He says: “I’m no longer the one who helps – but I can still listen.”
Example from everyday life in Kevelaer:
A family takes in the daughter of a single mother for a week while she’s in the hospital. No fuss, no expectation of thanks – just shared everyday community.
4. Spiritual Hospitality – Opening Space for Christ
Vision for the Kevelaer Prayer Atelier:
A house group or prayer evening doesn’t end with Amen, but with an invitation: “Whoever needs it, come Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.” It becomes a space for spiritual conversation – no pressure, just presence.
Pilgrimage or clergy house example:
A religious sister or brother writes a short letter to someone who hasn't come for months – not to scold, but to show warmth: “We’re thinking of you. You matter to us.”
What does that look like today?
I think of a Catholic family in Poland who hid Jews during WWII – at great personal risk. Later they said: “It wasn’t heroism, but an act of faith. We believed that to serve Christ meant to recognize Him in these people.”
Or of Mother Teresa, who found “Christ in the most broken forms” in Calcutta’s slums. She said: “I see Christ in every shattered person.” Her hospitality was not domestic, but radical – a life for the poor.
Even in evangelical circles, I see people open their homes for prayer, fellowship, Bible study. A young man once told me: “I’ve learned to meet Jesus not only in church, but in the dinner invitation, in listening, in praying with a friend.”
Thus the circle closes: Abraham, who hosts strangers and meets God. Mary, who pauses to hear Jesus. Paul, who suffers and proclaims – because Christ is among us.
This connection – hearing, serving, suffering, and hospitality – becomes Paul’s mission: “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone … so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Col 1:28) It’s not about pious theory, but a way of life.
Core message of this sermon: True hospitality recognizes Christ – in others, in listening, in suffering.
Call to Action:
Let us be awake and open this week – like Abraham, ready to receive God in each person. Let us pause like Mary, to hear Jesus’ voice in silence. And let us not shrink from service, like Paul – but accept it, because Christ lives in us. Hospitality is not an outer program, but inner openness to God’s presence.
4. The common thread of all readings
All three texts revolve around service and devotion. Abraham serves – and meets God. Martha serves – but is invited to listen. Paul serves – even in suffering. Together they show: not every activity is fruitful. Only what flows from God’s presence bears fruit.
5. Spiritual impulses from different contexts
During a service, a woman once heard: “Just sit down. I am already here.” – She had been volunteering for weeks. For her, it was like Jesus’ word to Martha.
🕊 Catholic spirituality: St. Thérèse of Lisieux said: “Small things done with great love – that is my path to holiness.” (cf. Story of a Soul) She was more like Mary than Martha – and yet entirely for others.
6. Concrete appeal
Dear friends,
What if today or tomorrow you chose listening over doing? Read the Bible slowly. Listen when someone speaks to you. Perhaps God is present in that encounter.
Be like Abraham – open.
Be like Mary – attentive.
Be like Paul – steadfast.
Practical application
Concrete invitation – now!
Who could you spontaneously invite for coffee this week – no planning, just presence?
When was the last time you were fully present in a conversation – without checking your phone?
Might you receive a blessing yourself through the act of serving someone else?
7. Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
you come to us – in the guest, in the Word, in suffering.
Give us a listening heart like Mary,
an open spirit like Abraham,
and a strong trust like Paul.
Teach us to receive you –
not through busyness, but through surrender.
Amen.
Bibliography (Chicago Style)
Elberfelder Bibel mit Erklärungen. 9th ed. Wuppertal: R. Brockhaus Verlag, 2023.
Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel. 3rd ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2007.
Die Neue Jerusalemer Bibel. 3rd ed. Freiburg i.Br.: Herder, 1985.
Thérèse of Lisieux. Story of a Soul. Freiburg i.Br.: Herder, 1996.
Online sources: