Abraham and Martha
I strive to be the hostess with the mostess, as people come to visit me in me new town and me new apartment. Some seem to think I’m anxious and attempt to reassure me. “It’s all good… you don’t have to try so hard… I just want to hang out with you,” they say. But I’m not worried about my company having a good time— I’m excited they have come and want them to have the best time ever.
I like to think, with my effort to plan favorite foods and things to do, that I’m a hostess rather like Abraham serving his guests in today’s first reading. Abraham and Martha are doing the same things, and together, offer a beautiful either or.
We generally understand the either-or of Mary and Martha … to do or to be … to listen or to serve. Through the washing of the feet at the Last Supper, Jesus is crystal clear about the importance of serving others. This suggests, perhaps, when He says to Martha, “Mary has taken the better part,” He is pointing out Mary’s contentment, peace and joy in contrast to Martha’s worry, resentment and pettiness.
According to the archeologists of Time Team, in the Middle Ages, in addition to caring for the sick, hospitals also served as hostels and hotels: they looked after those traveling or on pilgrimage. It strikes me these two groups of folks are very similar in a spiritual way, for every illness seems a sort of journey, and every journey carries an element of vulnerability, often physical. Who among us does not find needed restoration and healing from normal wear and tear when greeted with our favorite food and drink, smiles and kind words?
Unlike Martha, Abraham’s joy and enthusiasm, hope and liveliness cascade off him in ripples as he serves and waits on his guests. I wonder, “Does he know he’s welcoming the Lord and/or His messenger?” The word enthusiasm, which Abraham embodies perfectly, comes from Latin, en theo or in God. God encourages us, through the example of His friend, Abraham, to go over the top, to pull out all the spots and to travel the extra mile for our guests, whether stranger or friend. Like Abraham, are we not welcoming the Lord Himself?
To Journal About:
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- I recount a time when I was a traveler and a stranger helped me. I also remember a time when I was ill and needed looking after. I then compare and constrast these two different situations.
- How do I evaluate my efforts when I play hostess? What changes might I make if I remember it ’tis the Lord visiting me?
© 2019 Marilyn MacArthur, all rights reserved
Writing to Pray 