16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Genesis 18:1-10a

Luke 10:38-42

 

In last week’s gospel we heard, once again, the Shema – the Jewish prayer that is the underpinning of our Judeo-Christian faith, which is also the basis of Jesus’ command to love God above all, and to love one another as he has loved us. (See, Matthew 22:36-40).

 

To recap:  We are to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, with all our being, with all, our strength, and with all our mind, and our neighbor as ourselves. (See, Luke 10:25-27.)

 

In today’s gospel, as well as in today’s first reading, we see examples of that.  In Genesis we see Abraham going out of his way to be generous and gracious in his abiding hospitality to the three strangers.  He goes above and beyond.  Abraham, it could be said, is demonstrating his love of God by being hospitable to the strangers with all his heart, with all his being, with all his strength, and with all his mind.

 

Similarly, Martha’s hospitality to Jesus and the others present is total.  Her love is so strong that she gives 100% in making sure that they are taken care of.  It is the way she chooses to love – and live – her faith.

 

Now, each of these two examples may pale in comparison to the Good Samaritan who demonstrated an incredible amount of pity, compassion and mercy in coming to the aid of the man who was robbed and beaten. True, the acts of Abraham and Martha might not be as dramatic, but they are no less important, because they reveal what is deepest in their hearts.

 

Having said that, Martha’s seeming obsession with hospitality appears to be put down by Jesus when he declares that Mary has chosen “the better part.”   I think we need to look more deeply at that.  I don’t believe that Jesus feels that Martha’s hospitality is less important.  I think he recognizes that this is Martha’s unique way of, as it were, anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume and wiping them with her hair. (See, Luke 7:36-50; John 12: 1-8.)  Over the top, perhaps, but a demonstration of love and faith.  The vexing part, I believe, is that Martha complains about Mary and, thus, judges Mary.  Martha believes that her way of showing love and faith is the only important way.  Martha doesn’t appreciate that Mary’s undivided attention to Jesus is her way of loving Jesus with all her heart, being, strength and mind.

 

How do I choose to love God with all my heart, being, strength and mind?  Am I like Martha (and Abraham, for that matter), always wanting to do, to serve?  Or am I more like Mary, wanting to listen and learn?  It really doesn’t matter, does it?  There’s no one way.  Whatever is my way is always best, because it is authentic.  It is honest. It comes from the heart.

 

The important question is:  Am I like Martha in judging others for not being more like me?  If so, my hospitality is not inviting, it is excluding.  And that is not loving others like Jesus loves me.

 

 

 

“Call Me Ishmael”