The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
St. Francis of Assisi, religious

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8
Luke 10:38-42

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today we hear about the Lord visiting the home of his friends, the sisters Mary and Martha. Visiting friends, and sometimes some skeptics, was a habit Jesus made in His ministry and one gets the sense that He enjoyed meeting people in their homes. And why not -- there is no better way to get to know a friend intimately than in their home where one can see how they live, what they value and how they truly are.

Martha, the servant sister seems to have been the housekeeper of the pair. I wonder what preparations Martha made for Jesus' visit? Did she cook and clean for days in preparation? Did she panic when the time for the Lord to arrive drew near and her meal was not yet complete? Was everything just in the right place?

Mary, I assume, had practically no part of this cleaning and cooking routine. I imagine she spent her time in prayer and reflection, preparing her soul, her "inner home" for the Lord.

While we see Martha's frustration and the Lord's answer to her, one thing is clear: both sisters prepared their homes for the reception of the Lord in their own ways. This causes me to reflect and and ask if my home has been prepared for the Lord. Would Jesus feel welcome in my home? Does He feel welcome in the inner home of my soul? Would he be pleased with the way I live and with the preparations I make for His visit?

I ask you to reflect on the same question: Would the Lord be welcome and find comfort in your home?

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)