16th Sunday, Year C: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima
THEME: Hospitality: the key that unlocks blessings
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Readings: Gen
18, 1-10; Col 1, 24-28; Lk 10, 38-42
Dear brothers
and sisters in the Lord, last Sunday, the Church taught us that our neighbour
includes anyone who is in need of help, and she instructed us not to turn our
eyes from the needy. This Sunday, the Church wants to teach us the importance
and benefits of kindness and hospitality. Beyond highlighting the importance of
these virtues, the Church also seeks to emphasize the necessity of taking time
to listen to the voice of Jesus, even while engaged in acts of kindness and
hospitality.
Dear friends,
for many years, Abraham and Sara have been praying to God for the fruit of the
womb, and on several occasions, they have received promises from God that they
will have children. However, it is remarkable to note that it was an act of
hospitality or charity to strangers that ultimately led to the fulfilment of
the promise of fertility made to Abraham and Sarah by God. An act of
hospitality to total strangers, who turned out to be angels, as we read in the
first reading of today, opened the door to blessings for Abraham and
Sarah.
It is often said
that ‘in giving out, you lose in order to get something greater and better.’ In
the letter to the Hebrews 13:2, the word of God said, “Remember to welcome
strangers in your homes. Some people, by so doing, have welcomed angels in
their homes without knowing it.” This was precisely the experience of Abraham
and Sarah. They were merely performing an act recommended by their faith and
custom, unaware that the strangers were, in fact, angels.
Similarly, our
Christian faith and the custom of our various countries recommend that we treat
strangers with kindness and offer hospitality to them. Nevertheless, the
security issues prevalent in our world have made it challenging for many
individuals to trust the authenticity of those who approach them as strangers.
These apprehensions have hindered numerous people from opening their doors to
strangers. Additionally, the economic difficulties of our time have made it even
more difficult for many people to extend their hands in charity to other people.
However, today,
dear friends, the Church urges us not to use security concerns and economic
difficulties as excuses to withdraw from acts of charity and hospitality. In
other words, the Church does not want us to stop our acts of charity and
hospitality because of economic hardships and security threats. Rather, she
wants us to realize that every act of charity and hospitality rendered to
another person brings us closer to God’s plans for us and to the fulfilment of God’s
promises in our lives, the same way it happened in the lives of Abraham and
Sarah.
A saying goes
this way: venit hospes, venit Christus, which means, ‘when a guest
comes, Christ comes’. My dear friends, by shutting our doors to strangers, many
of us have missed opportunities to meet Jesus and have consequently denied Him
entry into our homes. By refusing to embrace strangers on the street, many of
us have denied help to angels. By failing to treat our guests with kindness,
many of us have missed opportunities to host angels and Jesus.
In the Gospel
reading of today, Martha did not fail to host Jesus in her home. She ensured
that she provided Jesus with the finest hospitality. Nevertheless, Jesus used
that significant moment to teach us the best ways to take care of our guests
and how to balance our active life with our contemplative life. Jesus was a
guest in the home of Martha and Mary. While Martha was occupied with preparing
the material necessities to host their guest, Mary was attentively listening to
Jesus' teachings. For Martha, the action of Mary was wrong, but for Jesus, both
the actions of Mary and Martha were right, though Mary’s choice was deemed
superior and should be prioritized.
Therefore, while
the Church encourages us to embrace charity and hospitality, she also invites
us to always set our priorities right, ensuring that our efforts for the
welfare of others do not distract us from the time we ought to spend with
Jesus. Our watchword should always be ‘Jesus Christ first, then everything
else.’
From this gospel
episode, we should understand that it is essential to prioritize listening to
the word of God and maintaining a close relationship with Jesus, even amidst
our social engagements for the welfare of humanity. If we neglect our intimate
connection with Jesus while performing actions for the welfare of others, we
risk becoming mere philanthropists. Our lives and time should not solely be
devoted to the work of the Lord; instead, the work of the Lord should
continually lead us to recognize the Lord of the work.
It is evident
that many Christians have overlooked this important aspect of our Christian life.
Today, numerous individuals are so
preoccupied with an abundance of social activities—both within the church and
at home—that they scarcely find time for spiritual reflection. In some of our
families, we focus attention on every other thing but little or no attention on
the spiritual growth of the members of our families. Many Christians have time
for all social activities but little or no time for praying together or
studying the word of God together. Many Christians contribute substantial sums
of money to the Church, yet they lack time to spend with Jesus. Amidst your social
activities for the church and community, make sure to set aside
time for communion with God.
Another
important lesson from today’s gospel is that a crucial aspect of hospitality involves
paying attention to the guest. Sometimes, what our guest requires from us
transcends material things; it is our attention. Dear friends, Jesus is the
guest in our homes, and He wants us to gather around Him as a family, paying
attention to what He wants to tell us, for He has something new to teach us
every day. Therefore, we must not let anything hinder us from welcoming Him
into our lives, nor should we permit anything to distract us from His presence.
Peace be with
you and your family.
Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima
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