Homily for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 17, 2022. The Gospel of St. Luke 10:38-42. Theme: Choosing the Better Part
Today’s gospel is a glimpse into a really beautiful aspect of Jesus’ humanity that we usually don’t think about: his friendships. We learn from various stories in the gospels that Jesus had some special friendships and at the top of that list was the sibling family of Lazarus, whom Jesus would later raise from the dead, along with his sisters, Martha and Mary. They lived in the village of Bethany, which was like a suburb of Jerusalem, and their place was very much Jesus’ “home away from home”. He would often stay with them when he traveled to the Holy City so that they could enjoy each other’s company and catch up on each other's lives.
In today’s Gospel we are dropping in on one of these visits. The reason for the rather passive-aggressive attitude in Martha is that it was the custom of their times for the men to gather in the main room while the women took care of the various necessities demanded by Middle-Eastern hospitality. And Martha is starting to get ticked off by her sister’s anti-cultural behavior. She sees Mary’s apparent disinterest as a kind of neglect of what she considers to be most hospitable for their guest. But Jesus seems to be telling Martha that there are two ways to honor and welcome him: by one's activity in trying to make things nice for his stay and by one’s attentive presence, simply remaining in his company.
It seems that as far as Christ is concerned, while he appreciates both, he declares that Mary has chosen the best option, the better part. She sits at his feet listening to his teachings, pondering and absorbing his words. She recognizes Someone far different and greater here than the usual vitior. When the guest is Jesus then the table is turned so to speak. It is he who provides them with hospitality on a deeper level, giving them the peace and consolation of his Word and Presence. And Mary is hungry and thirsty for more of this spiritual nourishment!
I think that the Holy Spirit may have put this story of Bethany in the Gospel because he wants us to receive and welcome Jesus with the same attitude as Mary. The Lord wants to be in our lives as Guest and Teacher, as Friend and Companion. As Guest Jesus accepts our invitation to enter into our lives. As Teacher he opens our minds and hearts to the truth that sets us free. As Friend he finds delight in just spending time with us. And as Companion he chooses to walk through life with us. Each of these aspects of our relationship with Jesus can be nurtured and deepened through prayer. And Mary of Bethany is an excellent model for us in this endeavor of choosing the “better part”, which means making and keeping a personal relationship with Christ as the main priority of our lives.
In receiving Jesus as Guest, Mary shows us that we give him our warmest welcome simply by choosing to spend time with him. This requires that we prioritize prayer in our daily schedule. Then, as we sit with attentiveness at the feet of our Guest, so to speak, Mary shows us how to engage in this better part of life. She asks us to just be with Jesus, to pay attention to what he says, to absorb his Word, to take it in and allow it to become part of us. But to do this, of course, we must actually take the Gospels into our hands and intentionally set aside time for being with the Lord. As we read we ask Jesus to enlighten our minds and in silence we listen to him speaking gently within us. His responses will be made known to us through ideas, illuminations, thoughts, decisions we are led to make. This is how we hear his Word and allow it to really sink in. This is how Christ our Guest becomes Christ our Teacher.
By persevering in this prayer-time with Jesus on a regular basis we will see that the Teacher also becomes our Friend. As we all know, a friend is someone whom we get to know better and with whom we form a bond. We become attached and begin to look for ways to deepen our relationship. Fortunately for us, Jesus our Friend has provided us with the way to do this: his on-going personal Real Presence in the Eucharist. By consciously and intentionally receiving Jesus in Holy Communion on a frequent basis, we will find a marvelous transformation happening within us as Jesus the Friend becomes even more than that. He begins to become Jesus our Companion. Like any close friend who chooses to remain in our company, Christ walks side-by-side with us through the various ups and downs of our lives, assuring us that things will be okay and that we are never alone. This is the great blessing we will receive for having consistently chosen the better part like Mary of Bethany.
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