(Audio recorded live, 20 July 2025)

Readings:

Gn. 18:1-10a; Ps. 15; Col. 1:24-28; Lk. 10:38-42

I just spent four days in Wheeling, West Virginia, at a priest conference sponsored by the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Each day was packed with seminars and workshops featuring prominent Biblical scholars, including the founder of the St. Paul Center, Dr. Scott Hahn. The image he used to describe what we priests were experiencing throughout the conference was that of drinking water from a fire hose. We were being showered with the word of God and a deep dive into a document written by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1998 called Dies Domini, the Day of the Lord. This document highlights primarily how the early Church shifted from observing the Sabbath, which is Saturday, to keeping holy the Lord’s Day, which is Sunday. To give you the water fountain version, Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. After the Resurrection, whenever Jesus appeared to his disciples, it was on a Sunday. For example, to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to the disciples in the upper room, to the disciples by the sea of Gallilee. As Pope Saint John Paul II says, “It is the day which recalls in grateful adoration the world’s first day and looks forward in active hope to ‘the last day’, when Christ will come in glory (cf. Acts 1:11; 1 Th 4:13-17) and all things will be made new (cf. Rev 21:5).”

When I was a child we used to play a game in school called, “First is the worst.” It was a goofy game whenever someone did something first, the other children would say, “First is the worst, second is the best,” and they would do the same thing you just did. Then another child would pipe up, “Third’s the golden horse!” It would seem we were a little critical of the firsts. But, in the case of the Lord’s Day, first is not only the best, it is heavenly good. The Lord’s Day is the one day of the week when we get to go to church to offer God thanksgiving, and for that thanksgiving receive the Son of God in Holy Communion. Notice I said we “get” to go to church, not “have” to go. Yes, according to Canon Law and the precepts of the Church, we are obligated to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, but is that how we approach the Lord’s Day, like some kind of chore?

If we approach the Lord’s Day like a chore, then we are acting like Martha in today’s gospel. Jesus visited Martha and Mary’s house several times in the gospels. St. Luke tells us that Jesus caused seven demons to come out from Mary. Having experienced the Divine Mercy of Jesus firsthand, she knew in her heart that He was the Son of God. Naturally, when the Son of God comes to your house, you would want to be as hospitable as possible. So, on one hand we might see Martha as justified in taking offense at Mary just sitting there.

In the ancient world, hospitality was not just something someone did out of the goodness of their heart, it was also a moral imperative. People travelling on foot in the desert are at serious risk of dehydration, starvation, animal attacks, robbers, and even death. When a visitor came to the house, it was proper to welcome them in, wash their feet, anoint their head, and offer them something to eat and drink. Today’s passage from the Book of Genesis highlights this hospitality.

Abraham was visited by three mysterious men. He greets them with an immediate and profound bow, showing he perceives something more than ordinary travellers. St. Augustine notices how Abraham invites them into his hospitality in the plural number, but afterwards speaks to them in the singular as one (On the Trinity - Book 2). The language is somewhat nebulous on purpose, which is a litarary device to convey mystery. Is it one, or three? Only one of them speaks. Which is it? From the Christian perspective, this may be seen as a theophany of the Blessed Trinity. Abraham also calls one of them adonay, meaning ‘Lord,’ whom St. Augustine argues is Christ. This reminds me of the passage from the letter to the Hebrews: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels” (Heb. 13:2). Or in Abraham’s case, the Lord himself.

We return to Martha and Mary’s home, with Jesus visiting. Luke tells us that Martha received Jesus into her house, which means that she invited Jesus, which also implies that she owned the house. It could be that Martha was more societally mature, and a bit more business-oriented. The house was likely well-kept with Mary given certain chores to pay for her keep. The assumption is that Martha is busy getting the meal ready and that Mary would be helping her, but on this particular day, the Son of God is their guest. Luke tells us that Mary was sitting beside Jesus’ feet listening to him speak. Mary is so greatful for Jesus’ love and mercy that her chores are secondary to listening to him speak. How often does one get to hear about the kingdom of God from the creator Himself? Martha, on the other hand, grows bitter with Mary and confronts Jesus face to face, saying, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” Martha does not address Jesus politely, but demands that He correct the impropriety of Mary, who should be serving. In this sense, Martha is being a little Pharasaic: She is more concerned with following rules than listening to Jesus.

[ We know from John’s gospel that Martha needed time to accept who Jesus was. When her brother Lazarus dies, she comes out to Jesus saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” (Jn. 11:21). Meanwhile, Mary remained inside the home. Mary knew that Lazarus would be saved by Jesus, so she had no reason to confront him. Martha still needed to grow in her faith. Jesus says her brother will rise and she quips, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day” (Jn. 11:24). But, Jesus corrects her, saying, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:25-26). ]

Jesus responds to Martha’s command, saying, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” How many of us have felt like Martha? The truth is most of us probably feel like Martha most of the time. We feel like we are the ones doing the right thing, attending Mass, giving to charities, seeking the Kingdom. There is even a temptation to have this attitude with our devotions, praying the Rosary, attending daily Masses, and the like. But, what we sometimes fail to recognize is that our good deeds fall flat if they are not firmly rooted in faith. And as St. Paul says, “Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Rm. 10:17).

There is an old Jewish adage: God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak. How often do we make a conscious effort to enter into silent prayer? Can we turn off the TV, put down the devices, and just be with God, to enter into His rest? Our worship here is designed so that we can start to do that. We have moments of silence throughout the liturgy, but what about the rest of the day? How are we making time for God on Sunday? After all, it is the Lord’s Day, and Jesus himself says, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath” (Mk. 2:27). The Lord’s Day, therefore, is to be a day of rest—not just time off from work, but time spent with God—so let us, like Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, enter into the Lord’s rest today, and every Sunday. To do so is surely to choose the better part.