Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Perhaps, you have heard about my awful experience at the hands of American Airlines on my recent trip back from India. What was supposed to be a 36-hour journey became a 60-hour journey. Weather was not the only reason for the delay. The problems ranged from unavailability of the crew, incomplete paperwork on aircraft maintenance, non-working toilet, and finally, low fuel. More than a hundred passengers sat in the plane, and on the tarmac for 5 ½ hours, only to be deboarded. Besides the unbelievable reasons for the harrowing experience, my primary frustration was about customer-service. There was simply no one to help. And if there were people who could help, they simply did not care. Good customer-service could have made everything easier. The biblical word for customer-service is hospitality. Abraham, in the first reading, and Mary and Martha in today’s gospel reading, are great examples of Christian customer service. If you want to know what hospitality is not, travel American Airlines.
- Prayer as hospitality. Have you ever thought about prayer as hospitality? The time we set aside for prayer, the kind of attention we give to God, our commitment to spending time with Christ regularly can all be seen as acts of hospitality. Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, is a powerful image of prayer. There were no distractions, no anxieties, no hurry. In spite of her sister buzzing around her like a bee, she sat there at the feet of Jesus. Martha did not love Jesus any less. Jesus did not rebuke her because she was a bad person or because she was doing something wrong. In fact, Martha was being hospitable in a different way. But Martha was distracted by external things like we are. Are we too distracted a people? Are our smart-phones our god? Do we get so busy that we have no time for God? Are we in a hurry when we come before God either in prayer of for Sunday worship? Does God feel welcome in our tent like God did at Abraham’s tent? Does God get time to sit and talk with us like Jesus did with Mary? This week find ways to be hospitable to God.
- The Eucharist. I want to reflect on the Eucharist as God’s hospitality. In its most basic format, the Eucharist is a meal. The very first Eucharist is called the Last Supper. The Last Supper was a meal. The Last Supper was a Passover meal. The original Passover was also a meal. When the angel of death passed over Egypt and brought freedom to the Hebrew people, their journey began with a meal. Since then for centuries, the people of God celebrated their redemption with a meal. Jesus revolutionized the Passover. A meal that was designed for the Hebrew people becomes a universal meal. The entire world comes to the Eucharistic table. No matter who we are and no matter what part of the world we are in, God spreads a table for all peoples. Even more, everyone who comes to God’s table become connected. We become one body in Christ. Even more, we are all invited to the eternal table in heaven. This is the marvel of God’s hospitality. I am naming it divine customer service.
- Hospitality as Diversity. I will be surprised if you are not troubled by the racial tension in our nation these days. No matter which side of the political divide you are on, American is being re-defined? I came into this country through the immigration system. Yet, today, for the first time, I am beginning to feel very insecure. Even though, I am a citizen, I am not sure I belong. A few months back, I had this voice message left on my phone. A male voice said, “Satish, why don’t you go back to India? You are a disgrace to the United States of America. You do not belong here. Bye!” This is very painful. This is not the America I know as a child. This is not the America I came into 19 years back. Today, in this Church we are not just Americans. We are Christian and we are Catholic. Catholic means universal! We are a Eucharistic people. We are called to imitate divine hospitality. Please, let us be agents of change. Please, let us be a hospitable and welcoming people. Please, let us be like Abraham, like Mary and Martha, like Jesus. Let us be people of Christian customer-service.
Here we are at God’s table and we are being served salvation! This is divine hospitality. May our lives replicate this Eucharist.
Fr. Satish Joseph