Hospitality, Passion & Listening
Listening the Spirit
Lord, thank you for the gift of Your Word so that all your people may know and love You more and understand You better.
As I go about my day may I not forget the scriptures you have opened up for me.
Help me to recognize how You want for me to apply Your Word to my daily life. Holy Spirit, guided by Your Word, may You enlighten my mind and enkindle in my heart a greater love for You and for others in my family and in the world.
Listening the Word: Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"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."
Reflection
In this Sunday's readings, we can find three aspects that help us be authentic disciples of the Lord with love, dedication, and listening.
First, hospitality, as Abraham receives a visit from three strangers who needed his help. He immediately stands up, runs to greet them, and offers them water and food, performing a human gesture, but above all, a divine one, because he was able to recognize God in them. Abraham invites us to view hospitality with an attitude of faith, of welcoming God who manifests himself in the needy. For this reason, he receives a sign of hope, a sign of providence, the sign that his wife will bear him a son.
Secondly, Saint Paul, in his ministry, values the pain and passion experienced for love of the Church. His service reveals hope and encourages us to live our own vocation according to the gift we have received. Divine wisdom sustains Paul to build the community and nourish hope in a world that has lost it.
Thirdly, we can contemplate the difference between serving and listening. Marta complains that her sister Mary doesn't help her, forgetting that in addition to serving, we must listen. This doesn't mean that service is less than listening, but rather that we must be interiorly available, at the feet of the Master, to nourish our faith and be able to serve with joy.
I invite you to pause and consider whether you are capable of welcoming others with hospitality, making available what you have and who you are. Also, ask yourself if you feel passionate about collaborating for the good of the community, even if this involves effort and sacrifice. Finally, reflect on your way of listening to and meditating on the Word of God, especially consider whether you find fulfillment in serving others.
Today's world demands that we turn our gaze toward those most in need, especially with generous service and attentive listening. We must be attentive to the reality around us, among family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. Isolated practices are not enough; authentic faith is embodied when hospitality, self-giving, and listening are integrated into our daily lives. Let us respond like Abraham, with gratitude and divine recognition; like Paul, with passionate dedication and transformative discipleship; and like Mary, with a heart attentive to the Word. Thus, our faith will cease to be a theory and become life, a sign of Christ's presence in the midst of the world.
Reflection Questions
- In what ways do I recognize and welcome God’s presence in the people I encounter—especially the needy, the stranger, or the overlooked?
- Do I take time to truly listen to God’s Word and the needs of those around me, or do I allow busyness and service to distract me from interior stillness and spiritual growth?
