Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time: Subversive Hospitality

Lectionary Readings:

• Genesis 18:1-10. Abraham entertains three guests, including the Lord, who announces the birth of Isaac.
• Colossians 1:24-28. Paul finds joy in his suffering, filled up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His body, the church. Paul preaches the mystery of Christ among the gentiles hidden from all ages.
• Luke 10:38-42. Jesus is entertained at the home of Martha and Mary. Mary listens to the Lord’s words while Martha busies herself with hospitality.

Thoughts for your consideration: By Hugo Esparza-Perez, CP

Luke’s Gospel this week gives us one of the richest passages of discipleship. The encounter of Jesus, Martha (which in Aramaic means the lady of the house) and Mary, has intrigued our imagination as to what “the better part” that Mary choose may be. Although, this passage has been primarily used to heighten the need for the contemplative life, or the balance between our daily activism and much needed time for silence, I think Jesus is also telling us something else. In this narrative, more so than Mary’s choice to “sit beside the Lord at his feet listening” it is truly Jesus’ choice to validate her subversive action. In Jesus’ days, teachers of the law did not deem it right for women to delve into the teachings of God’s law. Yet, Mary breaks that rule in order to claim what was “manifested to [God’s] holy ones” (Col. 1:26), the right and privilege to be followers and witnesses of Jesus.

One of the hardest and richest realities of organizing within the migrant movements for this past seven months has been the toll that racism, sexism, classicism and heterosexism take on undocumented lesbian Latinas. My involvement with the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL) in Chicago has presented me with a reality that it is still being treated as taboo, the role that our lesbian undocumented sisters (and the rest of the LGBT Community) play in the movement, in our homes and in society at large. In their own home they have been considered as deviants, and in their own movement they have been ignored. Homophobia is rampant in latino/a households and families, and, sometimes, it is validated by the Church. Also, in the LGBT national movement, their status as undocumented residents has put them at odds with the political positioning taken by the majority.  Courageously, they have channeled their experience as economically disadvantaged women of color, as undocumented residents in the U.S.A and as lesbians through heroic defiance. However, this has also led some, at times, into a pit of despair.

While Martha decided to become Jesus’ neighbor by welcoming him into her house, Mary decided to welcome him by listening to what he had to say. The first reading also demonstrates how God values our actions towards charity and hospitality. Like Abraham we are called to open our tent to all God’s children. The principle of human dignity tells us that we are at some level in the presence of the Lord, especially when our actions of hospitality and charity are offered “to one of the least of these who are members of my family” (Matt 25). Such radical hospitality is not always welcomed within our society and our own status may suffer from it. But St. Paul tells us in the second reading that such suffering becomes our own reward for spreading the great Christian mystery which he defines as “Christ in you.” The mystery that we proclaim is that all people share in the mystery of Christ and that in all people we will find the presence of Christ. We dare not marginalize any of God’s children or limit their humanity by placing artificial social limitations on any individual or group.  

Mary’s action, which broke away from the role that confined women to being mere housewives to become a disciple who sits by  the feet of the Master in order to learn and bear witness, is welcomed by Jesus, who reminds us that this  “will not be taken from her.” In the struggle for justice, our Lesbian, undocumented sisters have taken the right and privilege to fight for their own dignity very seriously. In our movement, these women are the most dedicated savvy leaders.  Despite all of this struggle, they have led, forcefully, the direction of undocumented youth in our city and in the country as whole. The recent sit-in at Senator’s McCain’s Office in Arizona and the upcoming action (July 19-21) by undocumented youth for the Dream Act in Washington is spear-headed by some of these same women. Together with them we are getting close to passing the Dream Act, which will be able to benefit 2.2 million undocumented youth who have lived under the shadows of our society for too long.

These women and their actions, unfortunately, are an unwanted stranger, for, in the eyes of some, they embody immorality and the worst that could possibly happen in our country. For others, they are divine mystery, for it is clear that their role as freedom fighters is fueled by their deep sense of their own humanity and acute sensibility to suffering. And, for some of us, they represent spiritual tension, because we are still struggling between our personal experience of these great women through our work and friendship and the old bigotry that is so hard to unlearn. Just as Jesus made sure to kindly comfort Martha who is “anxious and worried about many things”, he comforts us by shedding light into our sisters’ struggle for justice and human dignity. It is in the solidarity with this cause and movements like this that Jesus reminds us that we have also “chosen the better part”.