The 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As stated in today's homily, two of today's readings deal directly with the concept of hospitality. The first reading highlights the importance of making one's guests feel welcome, treating them with reverence. Similarly, the Gospel focuses on the importance of being present with one's guest rather than lost in the details and preparations.

I feel that we often lose the importance of the relationships that we develop when visiting with others. It's too easy to get lost in the details or focused on the event taking place while losing track of the people who should be the center of our attention. In the Gospel, Martha loses sight of why she is doing all of the work that is stressing her out. In fact, it seems that she's making preparations that are not of interest to Jesus. He wanted to spend time with her, not have her go through some elaborate ceremony.

Certainly, it's nice to have well-planned events be a part of a visit with someone we love, but it's more important to simply be present with one another. In fact, elaborate plans can often lead to disappointment simply because a tiny detail goes awry. Our focus should be on the joy of the present connection, both in our Earthly relationships and in our spiritual relationship with Jesus.