16th Sunday in Ordinary Time "C"

Martha and Mary

16th Sunday Ord. time "C"

Each of us at different times has had a "Martha or perhaps a Mary" experience.

Perhaps it was similar to the situation that Martha found herself in, we got so busy getting our place ready for our guests that we were not able to enjoy them when they were there.

We got so caught up in the idea of the experience that we in fact missed out on the experience it self. If we look back we probably can recall that we got so caught up in the details that we often let the experience slip right by.

In this busy crazy world, of multi tasking it can seem like there is never enough time to smell the flowers. To take things in, to savor the moment.

Jesus in his experience with Mary was able to see the struggle in his friends that all of us feel at times. We are as parents often have to act like time keepers that try to divvy up the time that we devote to each of our children.

We in our secular busyness may think that as long as we work hard that our families will understand, let me share with you that after working as a Chaplain for the past three years at GBMC that what families need most is more time with each other.

And just as we need that time with each other, we come to realize that we need quiet time with God each day, we need to be more like Mary in the midst of our very busy Martha like

We can if we choose look at life as a journey with many opportunities for us to participate in the Kingdom of God that is at hand, not like it is a series of obstacles that we need to check off as we move along, but rather that it is an opportunity each day to choose the better half.

It is in the journey that we can experience the Divine life giving presence of God imagine Abraham in today's first reading, he had once been told that he was to be the Father of many Nations.

His faith in this prophecy must have been challenged in all of the years that he and Sarah had remained childless. So when the three strangers arrived at his tent his extension of Hospitality to these strangers was an epiphany of sorts his prayers were going to finally be answered even in his old age. it was like they had been waiting all along for just the right gesture from Abraham to appear to him and to announce this new life into the lives of Abraham and Sarah.

Think about it my friends how many of us would offer Hospitality to three strangers who just showed up, Honey I'm home and by the way I'd like you to cook that very special meal with that secret recipe for these folks" for me these strangers had better be from Publisher's Clearing House and hopefully they have a check with them for my wife to entertain them on a moment's notice.

Yet back in both the Old and in the New Testament times such a request would not have earned someone a month in the proverbial dog house. It quite simply was what you did when strangers showed up unexpectedly. No there were no texts that were exchanged in advance, no map quest to follow and no protocol in advance was even thought of.

For certainly it was seen as a Blessing to receive guests graciously, to open one's home and share one's bounty and give freely to the stranger. We from this meal we have the expression be ready always for you never know when Angels will come to your house for dinner.

In today's Gospel reading we see Jesus as both the guest and the Host, as he often was in so many of Luke's many stories of Jesus at table. It was Jesus who showed us how to welcome tax collectors and sinners to table when he entered their houses and taught them with Authority, it was Jesus and by his loving example who taught them and us to recognize that the Law that he had written unto our hearts calling them to welcome the Stranger among them. Remember that what ever you do to the least of God's people you do unto me.

Our readings today challenge us this week in our Prayer time to be attentive to our sense of "WELCOME" do we make time to sit with those who most need our time and our attention .

And most importantly do we make time for ourselves and the attention that we also need to receive when we let our selves be in the presence of the Son of God, that same Jesus who Mary sat so attentively listening to.

Brothers and Sisters, as we prepare ourselves to join Jesus our host at his table to be fed with his Sacred Body let us pray that we will go forth both as an attentive and as a Welcoming Community, mindful that in doing that what the Lord calls us to do in love is truly choosing the better part, the part where we experience Jesus our friend and our Lord.