WELCOMING CHRIST WITH HEAD, HANDS, AND HEART

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Bible Readings: Genesis 18:1-10; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42

The readings and liturgy of this Sunday invite us to reflect on what true hospitality means. Hospitality is more than opening doors; it also entails opening our head, hands, and heart to our visitors. The readings also draw us into the core tension between action and contemplation, between external service and interior attentiveness to God.

In the Gospel, we read about how Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem (a journey symbolic of His mission and eventual passion) and was welcomed by Martha into her home. Martha welcomed him to her home with her hands - working, serving, preparing. Mary, on the other hand, welcomed Jesus with her head and heart - listening attentively at His feet, soaking in every word (the posture of a disciple - Acts 22:3). Surprisingly, it was Mary who was said to have chosen the right part. This was done to teach us that true hospitality is not just about activity; it is about attentiveness. 

Bear in mind that Jesus did not condemn Martha’s service; rather, He prioritized Mary’s listening. Jesus redirected Martha from anxiety-driven service to intentional presence before the Lord. What played out between Martha and Mary was not a competition between action and contemplation, but a reordering of priorities. From the story, we learn that our interior life must inform our exterior service. Martha was doing many good things, but she missed the “one thing necessary” - being present to Jesus. Mary, by choosing to listen, teaches us that discipleship is about presence before action.

On our part, we often think that the best way to serve God is by doing, but sometimes, He simply wants us to be - to be present, to listen, to love. Welcoming Christ means giving Him our attention (head), our service (hands), and our love (heart). Only when all three are in harmony do we truly offer Him a home within us. Therefore, we must ask ourselves: Am I too busy doing things for Jesus that I forget to be with Him?

The first reading from the book of Genesis beautifully complements the Gospel. There, Abraham welcomed three visitors (later revealed to be divine messengers) with lavish hospitality. He offered them rest, food, and refreshment. Unlike Martha, however, Abraham’s hospitality became an encounter with God. As he served, he listened. He did not allow the service to distract him from the Word. The reward? A divine promise: Sarah, his wife, would bear a son. The story of Abraham reveals that true hospitality opens the heart not just to guests but to grace. It is not simply about doing things for others but about receiving the revelation that comes through them.

In our today’s busy and noisy world, we are all a bit like Martha -distracted, anxious, running from task to task, even when serving God in His Church and around His altar. But the Lord gently calls us to reorder our priorities: to be before we do, to listen before we speak, to see and judge before we act, and to receive before we give. This does not mean abandoning our responsibilities, rather, it means placing them in the proper order. Service must flow from prayer. Action must spring from contemplation.

Let us ask ourselves: Do I make time daily to sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer and Scripture? Does my service to others come from a place of communion with God, or just from pressure or duty? Am I hospitable only with my hands and resources, or also with my ears, my presence, my heart? How often are we like Martha? We give God our labor, our rituals, our donations, even our songs but not our attention.

Today, Jesus gently invites us: “Choose the better part.” Sit with Him. Listen. Let the Word dwell richly in your heart (Col 3:16), and from there, rise and serve. For only when we live from the feet of Jesus can we walk in His path. May we learn to be like Mary in heart, like Martha in service, and like Paul in mission. Amen.