Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR C SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR Gn 18,1-10a; Col 1,24-28; Lk 10,38-42 Christian hospitality: a business? The
fallacy of “good-ism”.
The Liturgy of this Sunday invites us to reflect on two well known stories in
the Bible: the story of Abraham & Sarah and that of Martha & Mary. Both
stories are about hospitality & welcoming strangers: with a profound lesson
for us. It is normal in our western culture, that when confronted with the needy
and the stranger, we turn ourselves on - make
us outgoing - reach out - organize aid - feed the hungry.... But in the end, we are privileged and the others are not - we remain the
“haves” and the others remain the “have-nots”, we may even end up making
profits, while the others will remain poor, homeless & wanderers. From this
standpoint, the two stories of the Bible have little to say. We live in a
culture where to be a Christian means simply to be a “do-gooder”: a follower of Christ is one who leads a
good clean life and help others. In a way, even Christ was “a good
Christian” in the sense that he was a good person telling us to “love thy
neighbour”. This mind-set whereby to be a good person is all that it requires
to be a Christian ( the Italian language uses the expression “fare il bravo”
to act bravely) can cripple the life of many of us Churchgoers, and never allow
us to enter into the spirit of Christ. We really need the tough conversion
experience, provided by Mel Gibson’ horrendous “Passion of the Christ”, to
shake us out of benign ‘goodism” or do-gooder attitude, and turn our life
into a search for, a longing for, a communion with, a living with, a relating
to, a pondering, a spirituality towards God who is creator, tremendous lover,
forgiver, Saviour, origin, nourishment, destiny: all in all. The
“stranger” in the Bible.
The logic of the Bible is such that, like Abraham of old- we must put our trust
in God, in spite of all the challenges and the odds of life. We must believe
that -as true as God is God- God will make sure that his promises are fulfilled.
Now, when we welcome the stranger, we are ourselves aware that we too are on the
move, never secure, in a world of transition. We ourselves are strangers on our
way to our eternal home in heaven. We too must travel light, knowing that we
have no lasting abode on this earth. Constantly therefore we are aware that we
come from God, travel through our life’s journey and return to God. But at the
same time, we know that God has let us into his wonderful deal, with the coming
of our Saviour among us, but especially through his saving Passion, Cross &
Resurrection. We know that God has a dream for each of us and we must ourselves
work hard to ensure that God’s dream doe not remain unfulfilled. Yes even now,
at every moment of our life, we must live in God’s love, abide God as Father
Son & Spirit, live in Him as in a house of love. In the logic of the Bible,
every act of hospitality & welcoming is literally turned inside out. It
operates like a journey to the centre of our being where we discover deep empty
& unfulfilled yearnings. As we welcome the stranger, we weep with those who
weep and hurt with those who hurt, but at the same time we come in touch with
our vulnerability and emptiness. Then and in all humility, we become aware of
our inner hurts, our inner sterility (as Sarah did), mourn our lack of faith (as
Abraham did), and “worry and fret” (as Martha did). Lesson:
As
we meditate on today’s story of Abraham & Sarah, of Martha & Mary,
let’s ask: Where am I?. As I “worry & fret” for those around me, where
am I? with my peace & spirituality - my prayer life & sense of wonder -
my abiding presence of God... Am I hurting for those who hurt, just as Jesus is
and says: Come to me all you who hurt.... _____________________________________ |
