Betania, Israel July 14, 2015 r .: Mosaic. Bethany Church in commemorating the home of Mari, Martha and Lazarus, Jesus’ friends as well as the tomb of Lazarus. Israel. iStock-rparys

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” Martha and Mary are two of Jesus’ closest friends and, because of this, we can assume that he spent a lot of time at their home; conversely, they spent a lot of time in his presence. However, in this week’s Gospel, we see Martha failing to be present to her guest as she struggles to be a good host.

Like a good host, Martha wants to make sure that everything is prepared for the meal that they are going to share. Anyone who has prepared and hosted a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner can probably relate to what was on Martha’s mind. Being hospitable is a great virtue; as is serving a great meal. The cost for doing this is often high. It requires a lot of attention and so we invariably do not get to spend as much time with our guests as we would like. We rationalize our priorities by believing that the primary reason they came over was to share a meal at our table. We fail to remember that they actually are coming over to spend time with us.

This is the trap that Martha fell into, in trying to attend to the details of the moment —hosting their guest — she is ignoring the greater good of spending time with her friend when he is present in her home. Her actions are meant to be contrasted with the actions of her sister Mary, and Abraham from this week’s first reading, both of whom realized that the Lord was in their midst and chose to spend time in his presence.

Like Martha, Mary, and Abraham, the Lord appears at the door of our own homes and desires to enter into our lives. The Lord says in the Book of Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.”

In response to our Lord’s desire to enter into our lives through the Eucharist, at Mass each day we echo the words of the centurion, “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Though we may feel unworthy of his presence in our lives, he still desires to be with us; not in an abstract way or as a pious thought, but rather he stands and knocks at the doorposts of our hearts and truly desires to be part of our lives. He wants to be a guest in our homes.

Instead of being a burden, like unexpected guests who show up to have dinner at an already full home, the Lord’s desire to be part of our lives does not have to be a burden. Inviting him to be part of our lives can be as simple as turning to him for a few moments before you begin to eat and thanking him for our food. It can be as convenient as taking a couple minutes at the end of your lunch break where you can read the readings of the day and pray for a few moments afterward. It can be as simple as turning off the radio when you are waiting in the drive thru lane. Welcome him into that time of restlessness as you try to fall asleep at night. Make a quick trip to the perpetual adoration chapel at your local parish as you are out running errands.

Regardless of how we do this, it is important that we set aside the busy-ness of our lives to welcome the guest who desires to spend time with us. In turn, when the busy-ness of our lives finally comes to an end, it is he who will invite us into his home. Where we become the honored guest. Where he desires to spend eternity with us.

Father Johnson is judicial vicar in the archdiocese’s Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal.

Sunday, July 17
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time