Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
	There’s a different pace to a summer Sunday, especially on those days when we dream of air conditioning and wave any available paper to stir the air. Yet we persist in gathering, even with so many breaks from the usual routines. We distance ourselves not only from routines, but from schedules and familiar well-worn paths. These are playful days and contemplative days. We see long-lost friends and visit almost-forgotten places. We have more leisure than any people before in the history of the world, and we need it because our lives are so care-worn and tiring. More of us walk barefoot and look up at the stars or dip our toes in the lake or sea, sing around campfires, read novels on the beach, and eat comfort food with our fingers. We see how beautiful life can be, and are more aware than usual of how God is always breaking in with signs of love.
	In Genesis today, Abraham and Sarah practice hospitality to their visitors, who turn out to be God dropping in. During the summer months, God practices hospitality in return, inviting us into a season of celebration. Keeping Sunday holy is a good habit to cultivate in these days when our spirits are especially receptive to God’s deep desire for us to know divine love.
—James Field