16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 10:38-42
HOSPITALITY. WE HEAR THAT WORD A LOT AND DON'T THINK TOO MUCH OF IT. IT IS WHEN WE HAVE THE KIDS OVER FOR SUNDAY SUPPER, OR WHEN WE ARE TREATED PARTICULARLY WELL ON AN AIRPLANE OR IN A CITY WE VISIT. HOSPITALITY IS IN PART DEFINED BY ITS OPPOSITE – AN ATTITUDE OF COLDNESS, INDIFFERENCE, OR EVEN HOSTILITY. BUT HOSPITALITY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH OUR RELIGION – AFTER ALL, JESUS ENDORSED IT IN HIS PARABLES AND EVEN TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT A FEW TIMES, WHEN HE HAD SUPPER WITH A TAX COLLECTOR OR A PHARISEE, WHEN HE ALLOWED PETER'S MOTHER IN LAW TO WAIT ON HIM. JESUS ALLOWED HIMSELF TO RECEIVE HOSPITALITY.
AND IF JESUS IS THE RECIPIENT OF HOSPITALITY, HE IS NEVER ONLY A RECIPIENT. A PERSON WHO RECEIVES HOSPITALITY USUALLY GIVES SOMETHING IN RETURN.
WHENEVER I READ THE STORY OF ABRAHAM ENTERTAINING THE THREE VISITORS, I CAN'T HELP BUT SEE IN MY MIND THE FAMOUS ICON OF THE EASTERN CHURCH. IN THE FOREGROUND ARE THE THREE STRANGERS; THEY ARE SITTING AROUND A TABLE, SEEMINGLY ENGROSSED IN CONVERSATION WITH EACH OTHER. ABRAHAM IS HOVERING IN THE BACKGROUND, WAITING ON THEM. AND SARAH IS PEEKING OUT FROM THE TENT, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT SHE IS LAUGHING AS SHE HEARS THE STRANGERS PREDICT THAT NEXT YEAR SHE WILL HAVE A CHILD. THE ICON SHOWS HER TO BE A VERY OLD WOMAN.
ABRAHAM, IN PROVIDING HOSPITALITY, CREATES SPACE FOR THE STRANGERS TO BE THEMSELVES. HE DOES NOT SIT AT THE TABLE AND INJECT HIMSELF IN THEIR CONVERSATION. HE SEES TO THEIR NEEDS, AND PUTS HIMSELF AT THEIR SERVICE. WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO DO IS UP TO THEM. THOSE WHO RECEIVE HOSPITALITY IDEALLY SHOULD BE CHANGED BY IT, AND IDEALLY SHOULD FEEL GRATITUDE TOWARDS THEIR HOST; AND IDEALLY, SHOULD BE MORE HOSPITABLE IN THE FUTURE. AND THE STRANGERS SHOW THEIR GRATITUDE BY PROVIDING FOR ABRAHAM AND SARAH THEIR HEART'S DESIRE, A CHILD.
THE GOSPEL READING IS ALSO ABOUT HOSPITALITY. HERE, MARTHA AND MARY AND LAZARUS, TWO SISTERS AND A BROTHER WHO LIVE TOGETHER, OFFER JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES HOSPITALITY. THEY CREATE SPACE SO THAT JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES CAN BE THEMSELVES. AND WHEN YOU LET JESUS BE HIMSELF, HE SPEAKS WORDS OF SALVATION, WORDS WHICH YOU CAN'T IGNORE – AND MARY DOES NOT IGNORE THEM; SHE LETS JESUS BE JESUS. AND WE SEE THAT THE ONE WHO SINS AGAINST HOSPITALITY IS THE ONE WHO IS DOING ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING, MARTHA, WHO IS OUT IN THE KITCHEN PREPARING AN ELABORATE MEAL. SHE IS NOT LETTING JESUS BE JESUS. SHE IS MAKING JESUS BE THE GUEST, THE ONE WHO WILL GRACE HER TABLE, THE ONE WHO WILL FIT INTO HER MOLD. THAT IS WHAT UPSETS HER; HE IS NOT GOING ALONG WITH THE PLAN, AND MARY ISN'T HELPING, SITTING OUT THERE WITH THE MEN WHILE JESUS TEACHES. BUT LIKE THE THREE MEN WHO VISITED ABRAHAM, JESUS SHOWS HIS GRATITUDE BY GIVING THOSE AROUND HIM THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.
OUR SUNDAY MASS IS ABOUT HOSPITALITY. OUR PARISH BUILT A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH MANY YEARS AGO, NOT FOR US, BUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO INVITE OUR LORD TO BE WITH US. WE PAY FOR OUR ORGANIST AND OUR CANTOR NOT SO MUCH SO THAT WE WILL HEAR BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, BUT SO THAT WHEN JESUS COMES INTO OUR MIDST, WE WANT TO DEMONSTRATE TO HIM THAT HIS COMPANY IS APPRECIATED. WE DO NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THE PHARISEE WHO INVITED JESUS TO SUPPER, BUT DID NOT PROVIDE WATER FOR HIS FEET AND DID NOT GREET HIM WITH A KISS. EVEN THE AIR CONDITIONING WHICH WE ENJOY IS NOT PRIMARILY FOR US, BUT RATHER, SO THAT WE CAN BE LESS DISTRACTED WHEN JESUS COMES TO US; SO WE CAN BE BETTER HOSTS. AND OF COURSE BEING HOST TO JESUS MEANS THAT WE PAY ATTENTION TO HIM, LIKE ABRAHAM WAITING ON THE THREE VISITORS, OR LIKE MARY, SITTING AT HIS FEET. AND BEING HOST TO JESUS SHOULD MEAN THAT WE DRESS APPROPRIATELY, COME BEFORE MASS STARTS, AND LEAVE AFTER MASS IS OVER. WE WOULD NEVER TREAT A GUEST IN OUR HOME THE WAY WE SOMETIMES TREAT THE GUEST WHOM WE ENTERTAIN EVERY SUNDAY.
AND AS I SAID BEFORE, HOSPITALITY IS A TWO WAY STREET. JESUS COMES INTO OUR MIDST AS GUEST, AND TURNS THE TABLES ON US. HE COMES AS OUR GUEST, BUT HE BRINGS HIS WORD, IN OUR READINGS AND IN THE HOMILY. DO WE LISTEN ATTENTIVELY? DO WE LET THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVE US? OR DO WE READ THE WORDS IN THE BOOK WHILE THEY ARE BEING SPOKEN? LISTENING IS PASSIVE, LISTENING ALLOWS THE SPIRIT TO WORK. READING IS ACTIVE, THE SPIRIT DOESN'T DO MUCH WHEN WE ARE NOT BEING OPEN TO HIM. OR DO WE SHAKE OUR WATCH AND WONDER WHEN THIS WILL ALL BE OVER.
JESUS COMES AS OUR GUEST, BUT HE BRINGS THE FOOD. WE'VE SET ASIDE SOME OF WHAT WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT – BREAD AND WINE, FOOD AND DRINK; BUT HE CHANGES THAT INTO HIS BODY AND BLOOD, AND SERVES US. AND SOME OF US RECEIVE THIS PRECIOUS GIFT WITH GREAT REVERENCE. WE MAKE A GESTURE OF RESPECT, LIKE A BOW. WE SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY RECEIVE THE HOST INTO OUR HANDS OR OUR MOUTHS. AFTER EATING THE BODY AND DRINKING THE BLOOD, WE SPEND A FEW MINUTES BEING OPEN TO JESUS; WE GO BACK TO OUR PEWS AND SIT IN SILENCE, OR KNEEL WITH OUR EYES CLOSED SO WE ARE NOT DISTRACTED. AND IN THOSE MOMENTS, JESUS TRANSFORMS US. AND YET OTHERS OF US TAKE THIS GIFT WITH EXTREME CASUALNESS, POPPING THE HOST INTO OUR MOUTHS AS WE RUSH FROM COMMUNION TO THE PARKING LOT. IF WE WERE A GUEST IN THE HOME OF A FRIEND, WE WOULDN'T DO THIS, WE WOULDN'T SIT DOWN TO A WONDERFUL SUPPER AND ASK FOR A DOGGIE BAG BECAUSE WE WERE IN A HURRY TO LEAVE.
PEOPLE OFTEN SYMPATHIZE WITH MARTHA; MY MOTHER WAS ONE OF THOSE. SOMEBODY HAS TO DO THE WORK, SHE WOULD SAY. BUT MARTHA, WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING HOSPITALITY, WAS NOT REALLY; SHE HAD LOWERED HER STATUS TO THAT OF THE COOK. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, SHE DID NOT RECEIVE WHAT OUR LORD, THE GUEST AND THE HOST, WANTED TO GIVE HER.
SO LET US ASK HOW WE GIVE AND RECEIVE HOSPITALITY AT SUNDAY MASS, WHEN JESUS COMES INTO OUR MIDST. LET US ASK WHETHER WE ARE LIKE MARY, WHO HAS CHOSEN THE BETTER PART.