MENUCLOSE

Institute for Homiletics

A Collaboration of The Catholic Foundation and the University of Dallas

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Being Present to the Presence

One of my favorite things to do is to cook for people. This morning, my sourdough starter needed to be replenished. So I added flour and water and let it bubble. And then I made biscuits. Hot biscuits fresh out of the oven, soaked with a little butter, a little honey. Oh, the bread of life! 

Does that make me a “Martha”? In today’s story, Mary does what the men in Jesus’ day usually do: sit and listen to the Teacher. And Jesus approves. 

Because I like to cook for people, does that make me somehow less than a “Mary”? Does that make the expression of love through serving food—as women have traditionally done—something lower in the world of discipleship? Is a woman worth more when she takes on the role of a man? Is that what Jesus is saying here? 

At this point, I hope you’re resisting and shouting, “No, no, no . . . he didn’t mean that at all! It was Martha’s overwhelming anxiety  about the serving that he was admonishing her for.” 

The people of Israel valued hospitality. In Genesis, Abraham hustled to get the milk to feed the angels while Sarah made the rolls.  In return, the divine beings promised them a son. Luke’s Gospel says that Martha welcomed Jesus. She created a hospitable stopping spot for him. He who was the Bread of Life undoubtedly liked fresh bread hot from the oven. A good meal brings people together. 

What matters most, what Mary got right, is to be present to Presence; whatever we do, wherever we are, we are never to depart from Jesus’ Presence, always “sitting at his feet.” We can cook with  Jesus, dance with the Holy Spirit, and garden with the peace of God in our hearts. Jesus asks us to sit close in the midst of all that we do. 

Biscuits, anyone?

Consider/Discuss 

  • In contemporary American culture, both men and women enjoy cooking for others. (My son makes really good pie.) We don’t have to squeeze people into stereotypes. How can we move beyond cultural expectations to be hospitable to all of the gifts and all of the varieties of people that God has made? 
  • At 8 a.m., I made biscuits. At 10 a.m., I prayed and wrote the first draft of this reflection. At 12 p.m., I looked at reviews of portable-compound miter-saw-stands for my woodshop in the garage. God was equally with  me in all those activities. Was I equally aware of that? How can you and I learn to practice the Presence of God in all things, no matter what we are  doing? What does it mean to be “present to Presence” even when we are  not at church or during scheduled prayer times?

Living and Praying with the Word 

Oh, Lord, help us! You challenged the assumptions of your day  by letting Mary sit at your feet. You admonished Martha so that she might grow in holiness, away from anxiety and fear. You treated each person as worthy of dignity and respect. The psalmist tells us that  when we do justice, we will live in your presence. Show us where we are being unjust; open our hearts so that we walk hospitably and do  not tread on others. We want to live in your Presence! Thank you for always opening your arms to welcome us, O Bread of Life.

Written by

Scripture Study for

This week’s Genesis narrative contains two notable elements. The first has to do with the hospitality that Abraham and Sarah show to the three visitors. Since it will become clear soon enough that two of these visitors are angels and the third is the Lord himself, the elderly couple find themselves “entertaining angels” without even knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). Hospitality was a serious social expectation in ancient Israel, and the couple exemplify this virtue even toward God.  The second notable element is the announcement that, at long last,  the divine promise to give a child to the elderly and infertile couple is to be fulfilled. Often in the most mysterious ways, and under the most unlikely conditions, God is faithful in bringing forth life. 

Paul’s comment that he is making up in his own sufferings “what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” seems, at first glance, to suggest that Christ’s redemptive suffering was somehow insufficient. This, of course, is not what Paul means. The Colossians are part of the Gentile mission, in which the gospel is spread throughout the known world. Paul has suffered much in his work of preaching the gospel,  an extension of the work of Christ, as he has labored to bring “to  completion . . . the word of God.” In this context, the “afflictions of  Christ” appear to mean the suffering experienced as one continues  Christ’s mission. Paul’s work has been to reveal the hidden mystery to the Gentiles, the mystery of what God is doing for the whole cosmos in and through Christ. 

In this scene from Luke’s Gospel, Mary’s posture is that of a disciple, which would have normally—according to the social expectations of the time—been limited to males. Mary’s action,  therefore, violates a social boundary, which is not particularly surprising in the Gospels in general, and certainly not in Luke’s Gospel, which pays such positive attention to women. It is perhaps because of the social incongruity and potential controversy of  Mary’s position that Jesus assures her that “the better part” will not be taken away from her. The scene takes place immediately after last week’s story of the good Samaritan, in which Jesus illustrated what it means to love one’s neighbor. This scene complements that one, in that Mary illustrates what it means to love the Lord with all one’s heart, by sitting devotedly and attentively at the feet of Christ. 

Written by