Welcoming God in the Stranger | 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The theme of hospitality to our neighbor continues in this weekend’s readings. Last weekend was about identifying who my neighbor is, this weekend is about the attitude towards this neighbor/stranger.

In the first reading, we read about the story of Abraham’s hospitality to three strangers standing nearby his tent. He ran to great them and invited them to his tent for some refreshment. In the Judeo-Christian religion, Abraham is a model and more so for Christians, he is our “Father in Faith” – firstly because of his belief in God without questions to do whatever the Lord asked of him (cf. Gen 15:6ff). Today’s first reading is one of those narratives that portray the great faith and trust of Abraham in the Lord that proves him our father in faith.

Abraham does not know the three men he brought to his tent, yet he offered them everything he had, from the best of his household. He does not know, at first, that these are messengers of the Lord, yet his hospitality was total, generous, spontaneous. Eventually, due to his hospitality and openness, Abraham received not only guests but a blessing, a promise that his wife Sarah will bear a son. In welcoming the strangers, he welcomed God. God often comes to us disguised, in our family members, our neighbors, in those who arrive to us unexpectedly, in the needs of the poor, the aged, the lonely, the marginalized, in the stranger.

In the Gospel, another act of hospitality is portrayed by St. Luke, when Jesus went to a house where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. Martha busied herself with the task of tending to Jesus, “anxious and worried about many things,” and when she felt the burden of the many things she wanted to do, she asked Jesus to instruct Mary her sister to help. Jesus responds, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

The world often values productivity, busyness and staying active. We tend to condition ourselves to measure our days by what we accomplished, our output, what we can and have checked off our to-do lists etc. This seems to be the mindset of Martha. Like many of us, she wants to serve Jesus well and perfectly, yet, in her desire to do so, she misses the point, namely, to just be in the presence of Jesus.

This is the difference between the hospitality of Abraham and that of Martha. Abraham served his guests with enthusiasm, joy and just being in their presence tending to their needs. He did not have to worry that everything is perfect for his guests. He knows he has tried his best to provide from all that he had. While Martha on the other hand also served with enthusiasm, her desire to make everything perfect led to her being anxious and worried about the service. Her serving prevented her from being in the presence of her guest, Jesus, and tend to his needs, which at this time, what Jesus needed from Martha was to just sit and listen to him. While she is trying to provide Jesus with everything she had, she was so drawn into her desire and wish and not that of her guest.

As Jesus called Martha’s attention to what is important, he equally invites each of us to a balance in life activities and busyness. The “better part” Mary has chosen is not a rejection of work and service, but a prioritizing of presence, Divine Presence. As the saying goes, we cannot be doing the work of God while forgetting the God of the work. The example of Abraham applies to all, that in doing the work of God, we should be mindful of being in the presence of the God of the work, and there are several ways to do that. The first, obviously, is making sure to spend time with Jesus by going to Mass often, a weekly (if not daily) visit to the Blessed Sacrament/Adoration, Lectio Divina, praying the rosary and several other devotional practices. Another way of being in the presence of the God of the work is being present to the stranger we meet as well as our neighbor, whomever they may be, who like us are made in the image and likeness of God. And so, we serve them without grudge and hesitation, but with joy and enthusiasm either with/by material aid or just being present to them and making ourselves instruments of God to serve their needs.

By our service to our neighbors and even strangers, we reveal the mysterious depths of God’s love and care for humanity and all of God’s creation. This is what St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, about his sufferings for the sake of God’s children and his stewardship of the mystery of Christ. He points to a deeper hospitality, the hospitality of enduring any discomfort or sufferings while being present and tending to the needs of all who seek Christ; of bringing “to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.” It is a hospitality of presence and service that lead to the revealing of the mysterious depths of God’s love and care to our neighbor and even the stranger.

Remember, when the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” Matt 25:40. And so we pray, “Show favor, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”

May our lives offered in service to His Divine Majesty benefit the salvation of all!