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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time We've all been to banquets where the waiters and waitresses scurry around to get food served as quickly as possible. Whether it is a small funderal luncheon, a larger wedding, or a conference banquet with a thousand or more diners, the servers have their plan of how to deliver a hot meal in as efficient a manner as possible. A food service manager can explain the choreography involved in training a staff and the preparation that takes place for each meal based upon the number and courses of meals being served. Even the occasional request for hot tea intead of coffee - that ubiquitous drink - is planned for and diagrammed. Every hospitality manager wants the service to go well. In today's Gospel, Martha is a bit nervous like hospitality manager. Jesus was a well-known prophet with a significant following. He was welcomed by Martha into her home. Luke never says why. Did she have the biggest house? Was she hoping for some momentary fame in the village? Was she a relative to one of the many disciples? Did she know Jesus from an earlier encounter? Or did she bake the best lemon meringue pie? (Well we know it wasn't that one!) In any event Jesus was there, and Martha certainly wanted to make a good impression just like any other hostess. At first blush, we might think Jesus' rebuke to Martha a bit of a put down. Almost like telling folks at a conference banquet, "Listen to the speaker, ignore the waiters. "But that is exactly what a good hospitality manager aims for, service personnel that are so competent that they are unobtrusive. And maybe that is the lesson we can take from the Gospel. We are to perform our service to God and neighbor in an unobtrusive way, even an unheralded manner. We go about our lives not bragging about that good that we've done. We just do it.
©2010 St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church.org Prepared by Digital Pro Quo LLC
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