Generosity given in Hospitality

07-21-2019Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

Serving those in need and providing hospitality is considered an important Christian virtue. The readings of today reveal the unique insight of generosity given in hospitality that finds its fulfillment. Hence the central theme of today's Mass is hospitality where a person seeks to discover the divine presence in the other. In general, welcoming a guest was and still is an extremely important obligation of people living in the world. In the Gospel we have Martha, Mary and Lazarus welcoming Jesus to their house and show their hospitality. However, the Lord indicates that such hospitality should be without any anxiety but filled with service and love. The first and the third readings of today are set within the context of ancient near eastern customs of hospitality.

Abraham discovers the presence of the divine messengers in the three visitors.

The Gospel of today challenges us to slow down, sit down and listen!

"Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things."

The words of Jesus to Martha in the gospel story of today are not to be taken to be encouraging laziness. Nor is Jesus blaming Martha for her hard work. After all, she was doing what she was doing for the Lord. But the Lord's reaction has a deeper meaning:

Her problem was that she was "burdened with much serving"; she was distracted, she was fretting, being anxious and worried about many things. So a question that we are invited to ask ourselves today is not how busy we are, but are we able to do what we are doing gracefully – without being anxious and worried. Jesus reminds Martha and us that unless our hard work flows from a spirit of contemplation it becomes burdensome causing much fretting and worrying.

Martha and Mary were both in the service of the Lord, for both of them had answered the call of God's grace. But the ways in which the two of them carried out this service differed. Just as a human being is composed of a soul and a body, so too is the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, composed of a spiritual aspect and a corporeal aspect. Here, Martha represented the corporeal aspect, and Mary, the spiritual aspect of the Mystical Body of Christ. Both are in the service of the Lord and of his Church, but in different ways. But, since God is spirit, the spiritual aspect of the service of the Lord is the better of the two. So all those who, in the Church, receive the grace of being in the service of God in his corporeal and material aspect must make an effort, with the help of this same grace that they have received, to transform their service to God into a spiritual service.

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