Are you open to an
encounter with the Lord?
Abraham is a
nomad. In the Book of Genesis, Abraham
is bound by the laws of hospitality to be other-centered. So, when the
Lord appears to Abraham in the form of three
men, Abraham goes out of his way to serve them. Offering them first water and a place to
rest, then a copious amount of food – curds, milk, rolls and a choice steer! – Abraham’s attention is
entirely upon his guests. He receives
the messengers of God, and is open to God and to God’s promise, which will be
life-changing for him: I will surely return to you about this time
next year, and Sarah will then have a son.
In the words of Psalm 15, Abraham does
justice, leading a life dedicated to other, geared to building up a people,
a community. Free of sin in all its
forms – slander, usury, bribes, and
so on– men like Abraham have access to the presence of God. Observant Jews who wanted to enter the temple
prayed Psalm 15, asking Lord, who may
abide in your tent? Clearly, Abraham
would have passed with flying colors.
Martha is perhaps
not quite there yet. In Luke’s Gospel,
both she and her sister Mary have Jesus in their very home. Both have the opportunity, each in her own
way, to be present to him: Martha
through service, and Mary through her attention to Jesus’ words. But Martha’s hospitality is marred by her
resentment of Mary’s position. Tell her to help me, she says. Her resentment prevents Martha from offering
service that is entirely pure gift to other.
She is in the presence of the
Lord, to be sure, but she has not yet opened herself fully to his promise.
On the other hand,
Paul’s openness to that promise is radical.
In his Letter to the Colossians, Paul says he rejoices in his sufferings
for their sake. Paul has been beaten and persecuted for
spreading the Good News, proclaiming
Christ, teaching with wisdom, so that
all may enter into relationship with God, and be fully present to the Lord, perfect in Christ. Paul, having encountered the Lord on the way
to Damascus, now sees God present in those he meets: it is Christ in you, he says, the hope for glory. He is open to an encounter with the Lord at
every turn, and is generous in his service of other, to the point of painful
suffering on their behalf.
We never know when
we might encounter the Lord – indeed, we encounter him daily, hourly, perhaps
even more often than that! To be open to
that encounter, open to seeing Christ in other, open to doing all we can to
serve them, is to reveal Christ in us
as well. Indeed, it is only through
radical openness and generous service that we, like Mary, can choose the better part.
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
