Sunday Reflections

In a prayer experience I had many years ago, I saw myself in an extremely comfortable room, sitting on a couch with a fireplace burning behind me. Jesus was sitting beside me. As I examined the room, I noticed that the door and the windows were all tightly locked and secured.

I said to Jesus, “What if people come in and take everything?” Jesus said, “Don’t worry. You will always have me.” The first reading this Sunday is beautifully imagined in an icon of the Trinity from the Eastern Church. The icon depicts three figures standing behind a low table displaying food and drink. At that time in history and in the culture of the Middle East, it was unthinkable not to offer hospitality to a stranger.  To refuse drink or food to a visitor in the desert was to wish death upon them in such a harsh environment; consequently, their doors or tents were always open to whomever showed up, even enemies.

The gospel story of Mary and Martha reflects the experience of most households that have a man and a woman living together.  Research shows that the overwhelming majority of household tasks (meals, cleaning, washing dishes, laundry, attending to the needs of children, shopping, etc.) are almost always done by the woman, even if she has a job outside the home. The man may take out the garbage and cut the grass – if there is any grass to cut. So, in some sense, we can understand Martha’s complaining and be puzzled by Jesus’ defense of Mary. The point of the story is not to let ourselves be so caught up in the busyness of life that we forget the most important parts of life and relationships with the people around us. The challenge will always be to be able to find silence and stillness, no matter how busy or distracted we may be.

The doors and windows to our hearts need to be open to welcome whoever comes knocking. We need to overcome any fear that we may be hurt or run short of whatever we need to live.  We need trust because, like Abraham, we may be entertaining angels. If we can do this, we, too, like Sarah, will be blessed because ultimately, Jesus will always have our backs and be there for us.