The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are close to an undercurrent of tension that we struggle within when we desire to act with true justice toward others as Jesus models.
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| Hospitality and justice |
The passage from the Book of Genesis presents the hospitality of Abraham to visitors.
* [18:3] Abraham addresses the leader of the group, whom he does not yet recognize as the Lord; in the next two verses he speaks to all three men. The other two are later (Gn 19:1) identified as angels. The shifting numbers and identification of the visitors are a narrative way of expressing the mysterious presence of God.1
Psalm 15 puts emphasis on virtues relating to one’s neighbor.
* [Psalm 15] The Psalm records a liturgical scrutiny at the entrance to the Temple court (cf. Ps 24:3–6; Is 33:14b–16). The Israelite wishing to be admitted had to ask the Temple official what conduct was appropriate to God’s precincts. Note the emphasis on virtues relating to one’s neighbor.2
The Letter to the Colossians underlines Paul’s teaching that Christ in us makes Him present to people today.
* [1:24] What is lacking: although variously interpreted, this phrase does not imply that Christ’s atoning death on the cross was defective. It may refer to the apocalyptic concept of a quota of “messianic woes” to be endured before the end comes; cf. Mk 13:8, 19–20, 24 and the note on Mt 23:29–32. Others suggest that Paul’s mystical unity with Christ allowed him to call his own sufferings the afflictions of Christ.3
In the Gospel from Luke Martha and Mary relate to Jesus visit in a manner that creates tension.
* [10:39] Sat beside the Lord at his feet: it is remarkable for first-century Palestinian Judaism that a woman would assume the posture of a disciple at the master’s feet (see also Lk 8:35; Acts 22:3), and it reveals a characteristic attitude of Jesus toward women in this gospel (see Lk 8:2–3).4
Rev. Tom Shanahan, S.J. shares there are a couple of themes that run through today’s readings from Scripture: hospitality and the inner truth of God and Jesus invitation to deepening love. Mary has crossed the line and Martha is chastising her for it. She is doing the right thing according to the Law (women need to be in the kitchen).
Jesus sees the situation in an entirely different way. He sees in Mary’s response a more deeply appropriate one in this setting: she has chosen the better part. There’s something more her than meets the eye and it’s expressed as love. Mary has the determination to express that love by moving away from the Law’s prescribed rules and spaces in the home.
As disappointed as Martha may have been by doing what she considers the right thing, Jesus asks her to open herself to the deeper reality of who He is. Mary understood that and acted upon it. Was Martha wrong and Mary right? Not really because Jesus agrees with Mary’s response to him and invites Martha to consider that love is the more appropriate response. Both are winners.5
Don Schwager quotes “The Body of Christ needs hearers and doers of the Word,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Virtue does not have a single form. In the example of Martha and Mary, there is added the busy devotion of the one and the pious attention of the other to the Word of God, which, if it agrees with faith, is preferred even to the very works, as it is written: 'Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.' So let us also strive to have what no one can take away from us, so that not careless but diligent hearing may be granted to us. For even the seeds of the heavenly Word itself are likely to be taken away if they are sowed by the wayside (Luke 8:5,12). Let the desire for wisdom lead you as it did Mary. It is a greater and more perfect work. Do not let service divert the knowledge of the heavenly Word... Nor is Martha rebuked in her good serving, but Mary is preferred because she has chosen the better part for herself, for Jesus abounds with many blessings and bestows many gifts. And therefore the wiser chooses what she perceives as foremost." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 7.83-86)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 10:38-42 comments Martha thought that many things were needed—all the tiny details that go into making a perfect meal for an honored guest. But the only thing that was needed, the only thing Jesus wanted, was to be with her. He wasn’t looking for an elaborate meal or a red-carpet welcome. He came to share his heart with Mary and her and to invite them to do the same with him.
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to worry about how every “room” in your heart looks. Jesus is not going to reject you or complain if a few things are out of order. Remember, he entered a world of suffering, spite, hatred, and hurt—and he redeemed it.7
Suzanne Guthrie's meditation, guided by quotes from Thomas Merton, Teresa of Avila, and the Dalai Lama, focuses on how Martha tames the beast of anxiety.
Like a ballet master, Jesus offers the correction Martha needs to put her in the right balance and direction. I'd like to think of her laughing, if not in the flush of the stressful moment, at least by the time she'd sat down to eat supper herself. And maybe she took that rebuke and turned it into a discipline of virtue. How else do you explain the taming of the horrible Tarasque?8
Jordan Peterson tells Bishop Robert Barron that a church overemphasizing ‘mercy’ doesn’t ‘care’ about people. “If you really love someone, you can’t tolerate when they are less than they could be,” Peterson said in a July 13 conversation with Barron that was broadcast on Peterson’s YouTube channel.
World-famous psychologist Jordan Peterson told U.S. Catholic bishop Robert Barron that a church that emphasizes mercy and forgiveness while not requiring people to turn away from their evil ways is a church that does not really “care” about people.9
Friar Jude Winkler recalls the requirements of Bedouin hospitality and the development of interpretation of the nature of Abraham’s visitors. Paul exhorts us to make present today in actions the suffering love of Christ. Friar Jude recommends that often we need to do less and enjoy people more.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that In spite of all seeming evidence to the contrary, mystics know that God is love, and this love is both our source and our goal...There are a great many theologians, saints, and laypeople who have conveyed this reality much better than Fr Richard, such as Francis of Assisi and Clare of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, and Teresa of Ávila. [1] We are invited to reflect on a more contemporary mystic, Reverend Howard Thurman (1900–1981).
The goal of life is God! The source of life is God! That out of which life comes is that into which life goes. . . . God is the guarantor of all [our] values, the ultimate meaning—the timeless frame of reference. That which sustains the flower of the field, the circling series of stars in the heavens, the structure of dependability in the world of nature everywhere, the stirring of the will of man to action, the dream of humanity, developed and free, for which myriad men, sometimes in solitariness in lonely places or in great throngs milling in crowded squares—all this and infinitely more in richness and variety and value is God. Men may be thrown from their courses—they may wander for a million years in desert and waste land, through sin and degradation, war and pestilence, hate and love—at last they must find their rest in Him. . . .10
I have recently completed attending the annual spiritual exercises prepared by the Franciscans of Halifax. One of the themes emerging from the silent contemplation of the exercise was the nature of Christian justice as being solely concerned with the other receiving what is justly for him or her.
The tension in our society between rights and responsibilities is an example of directing my attention and action toward what I deserve (my rights?) and being primarily concerned that you get everything you need to be all you can be, (my responsibility?).
The articles curated here today offer much needed nourishment in a desert of conflict over these tensions.
References
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(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 18 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/18
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/15
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(n.d.). Colossians, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/colossians/1
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(n.d.). Luke, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/10
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/07/21/
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(2019, July 18). Jordan Peterson tells Bishop Barron that a church overemphasizing .... Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/jordan-peterson-tells-bishop-barron-that-a-church-overemphasizing-mercy-doesnt-care-about-people
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(2019, July 21). The Meaning of Life — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://cac.org/the-meaning-of-life-2019-07-21/
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