I want to share a letter with you from an older woman named Gert written to an usher named Harry. As you read this letter, try to make the connection between the letter that Gert wrote, our First Reading from the book of Genesis and Luke’s Gospel account of the Martha and Mary story. I will give you a clue as to what the connection is, it has something to do with hospitality. Here is Gert’s letter:
Dear Hank, Director of the Ushers,
I am writing to ask a favor. I’m Gert, the Gert who is at the 9 o’clock Mass every Sunday.
I am sorry that I don’t know your last name, but then you don’t know my last name either. I don’t even remember how you learned my first name, but every Sunday morning, you smiled and greeted me by name.
We would exchange a few ideas about baseball and football scores, the weather, why I am late on some Sundays or how we scored Fr. Bill’s last sermon on a scale of one to ten.
I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to make an old woman feel welcome, for your tender kindness, gentle consideration and honest caring.
Now for the favor, Hank. I am dying. I am very close to death. My husband has been dead for years and the kids are scattered.
It is especially important to me that when they bring my dead body into the church for the last time, you will be there to greet me and just be yourself and say, “Hello, Gert. How did you like the game last night?” If you do that Hank, I will feel assured that your warm hospitality will be duplicated in my new eternal home in heaven.
I just wanted to say, “Thank you” Hank, for your hospitality, and I will put in a good word with my friend Jesus for you.
With gratitude for your hospitality, love and prayers,
Gert
So, what do you think is the connection between Gert’s letter, the First Reading and today’s Gospel?
Welcoming, Hospitality, Generosity, Friendliness?
Hospitality may simply be defined as the ability to welcome and pay attention to guests. Harry, the usher in our story, was hospitable to Gert. Abraham and Sarah, in the First Reading, were hospitable to strangers. Martha and Mary were hospitable to their friend, Jesus.
The story of Abraham’s gracious welcome to the three strangers exemplifies hospitality. Let’s look at some of the details.
Where is Abraham sitting? He’s at the door of his tent when he sees three men.
What does he do at once when he sees strangers? Abraham runs to greet the strangers and honors them by bowing. Today, we would shake hands or give them a hug.
Abraham then begs the strangers to rest and refresh themselves by washing their dirty feet. He then brings them water to drink and food to eat.
The strangers become guests. Remember, this takes place in the desert where the watering holes were few and far between. Thus, people helped each other out. What a contrast to our world of fast-food restaurants, locked and bolted doors, gated communities, high-tech security systems and a fear of strangers.
Sarah, Abraham’s wife, baked way more bread than it was possible to eat, and Abraham slaughtered a steer.
For the people of the Old Testament, hospitality was considered a sacred obligation, a responsibility and a privilege. They believed that they would come to understand God’s will through acts of hospitality.
This theme of holy hospitality is carried out in the Gospel. Both Martha and Mary are hospitable to Jesus, but in vastly different ways.
Martha (I wonder if her last name was Stewart) welcomes Jesus at the door and brings Jesus into the living room. Mary comes to welcome Jesus, at once sits at Jesus feet and simply listens to Jesus.
Martha focuses on the food and Mary focuses on listening.
Martha shows her hospitality by serving a well-prepared meal, while Mary shows her hospitality by being present to Jesus.
Martha excuses herself and at once busies herself in the kitchen with the details of preparing something to eat. No problem with that. There is a problem, however, with all the moaning and groaning to herself and getting madder and madder at Mary for not helping. It gets to the point where Martha blows up and with a loud voice, says to Jesus, “What’s wrong with this picture? I’m slaving away in the kitchen and Mary is just sitting here. Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me.”
Some of us side with Martha when she complains to Jesus about her “do-nothing” sister. The implication is that Mary is lazy. There are times when we are like Martha. We, too, can let the anger build and build and then, like a volcano, we blow up. So, we get on our pity pot and allow ourselves to feel victimized and exploited. We may end up resenting people like Mary who never seem to lift a hand to help out.
A detail overlooked in the story is that Martha never asked Mary to help. Martha just complained about Mary not helping.
I have always been uneasy with the response of Jesus that Mary chose the better part. Jesus tells Martha that she is anxious and not to sweat the small stuff. I take comfort in the fact that Jesus never said that what Martha was doing was not important. Nor did Jesus fault Martha for doing the busy things. Martha just got too busy to spend any time with Jesus.
There are dangers to being too busy. My own Spiritual Director has constantly warned me of the dangers of becoming too busy. She said my life is like an overpacked suitcase with too much in it and it is too heavy to carry by myself.
It is hard for most of us not to be over-busy or consumed by work, paying mortgages, raising children and more. Seems like there is always one more phone call to make, one more person to see or one more task that must be done.
Our work can become an excuse and rationalization so as not to deal with relationships, family members, spouses or even God. We have a perfect excuse. We are too busy.
And Jesus warns Martha about this. The reason Mary chose the better part is that Mary does not have resentment towards Martha. Mary’s patient listening to Jesus trumps Martha’s busyness. It is Mary who is attentive to Jesus by simply being present to Him.
So, how many of the type “A” Marthas do we have today in the congregation?
Let’s have you stand. Please note that I am already standing.
What about the “B” types, the Mary types?
You B types, please stand up now.
This Gospel shows that there are several ways to be hospitable. One is to serve like Martha and the other is to love like Mary.
Whether we are a type “A” or a type “B,” we must take time out to listen to Jesus speak to us. We need time out to pause, to treasure quiet time. Take a minute now to be still and let Jesus speak to you.
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