Gospel Reflection on Luke 10:38-42

July 20, 2025

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

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Today, the Good News focuses our attention on two very similar, but completely opposite words. Hospitality and hostility. Which one shapes the pattern of encounter in our lives? In the Gospel, Martha hosts the Lord Jesus, an event that is extraordinary.

But, over the course of our spiritual life, this moment acceptance, reception, is going to be repeated again and again. Martha receives Jesus, and this is no small thing. She's a capable woman who knows how to manage and organize.

The Master has arrived, and everyone is talking about him. We're in a Jewish village where hospitality is sacred.

Today, we also hear the story of a generous welcome that Abraham offers to three travelers.

A nomad like Abraham knows that welcoming or not welcoming a traveler could be a matter of life or death. This is the moment of encounter, and it appears over and over in our lives. How do we greet the stranger, the newcomer, with hospitality or hostility? We should not underestimate this moment, because so often God appears as a stranger, waiting upon our decision.

But, once the door is open to the stranger, there's still another step to be taken. What is this next step? To not only welcome the stranger, but to welcome them for who they are, and not impose our own agenda upon them.

Martha has a plan, an agenda, an ambition. She's in dismay that Mary has not adopted her ambition. Abraham chose hospitality, but remains open to the purpose of his guests, to their mission, and this result receives a much greater gift.

What Martha overlooks is that today in her house, an other, a stranger, has entered.

Someone who is completely different, who wishes to give her the best part that no one can ever take away.

Yes, service is important. Yes, the mission of the church is important.

Yes, we all have important things to do in our life, and yes, we all want other people to join us in our plans. But service, no matter who is offering it, is a consequence of our relationship with God. It is not the beginning point.

We're never the ones to love first. We don't start from ourselves. We start from Him.

If we give what we're able to give, however good we are, however well-meaning we might be, it will always be something that comes to an end. Something that will be taken away sooner or later. To enter into an existence that's related to heaven, that has the fragrance of eternity, we must receive it from the One who comes from the Father.

Only He knows how to give what will never be taken away, in joy and pain, in abundance and poverty, in sickness and rejection. Only He can give us what no thief will be able to steal. When we discover what the Lord does for us, what we do for others will seem little in comparison, and we'll do it with joy.

Every person we meet is a stranger with a message from God. We need to be present to them, put aside our own agendas, our ambitions, how we might use them, how we might fix them up, and receive that hidden message of love that each stranger brings. Only then will we discover the treasure that is hidden in their hearts waiting for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eYVq08JBp4