I asked God for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do great things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for but everything I had hoped for;
Despite myself, my prayers were answered. I am, among all people, most richly blessed.

Now, let’s read our gospel together:

As Jesus and his disciples continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (Luke 10:38-42, Message Bible)

Now, watch with me this short, humorous video. [Show video from BlueFish.TV on prayer]

Now that I have your attention, what is this all about? One word – NOISE. Martha’s problem in our gospel was that she was distracted by the wrong things, so she missed the most important thing of all, which was Jesus’ presence with her.

Lots of people – especially people with the name “Martha,” but also others like me, who are “Martha’ish” in that we are always on the go, always doing, doing, doing – we don’t like this story. It’s because the story is often misused, misinterpreted to make people feel guilty who are busily serving the Lord. That’s not what the story is all about!

The problem is this: Too often, the story of Martha and Mary is interpreted incorrectly – juxtaposing work versus prayer, the active apostolic life (like the Jesuits and Holy Cross) up against the contemplative life of monks and hermits (like the Trappists and the Benedictines). If we’re a Martha, we’re made to feel guilty. But can you imagine if the world were made up of only Marys and no Marthas – who would clean the house, cut the grass, cook the meals, take care of the children?

Last week, I came across a story of an elderly woman, in the hospital. Some of the members of her church stopped by to visit and said, “We’ll be praying for you.” She, being of quick wit, responded, “I’d rather you cleaned my house and cooked me some meals. I can do the praying on my own!” We “Martha” people hear this story and, instead of thinking it juxtaposes work and prayer, in our minds we tend to think it blesses laziness – Mary just didn’t want to help her sister Martha with all the work in the kitchen!

Today, let’s try to interpret the story correctly. To do so, we need to do two things: (1) First, we need to read the story in light of the parable that precedes it, the parable of the Good Samaritan; and (2) second, we need to read the story in light of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and his call for us to be his followers, his disciples.

First, let’s look at the story of Martha and Mary in the context of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Clearly, Jesus was not condemning apostolic works and good deeds, because that is exactly what the Parable of the Good Samaritan is all about. The story is not criticizing the active apostolic life. So what does this story teach us? Two words: NOISE and PRIORITIES.

NOISE. That’s why I began the homily today with all the background noise, and with the humorous cell phone video. Our gospel says Martha was distracted. And how are we to pray and listen to God if our lives are filled with unnecessary noise and distraction? That “noise” can take all sorts of forms – cell phones, a loud TV, tiredness because we don’t get enough sleep, working too much.

PRIORITIES -- Martha was busy with the WRONG things – fixing the food instead of spending time with Jesus. Let me give you a simple example. I need one child to help me. Now, I have two things. [Show child glass of milk and a chocolate candy bar] If you could choose just one, which would you pick? Which is better for you? Which is good for you every day, and which is bad for you if you eat it everyday? Right. Too many candy bars will give you cavities. But milk is good for you all the time. Neither is necessarily bad or sinful, unless misused. Likewise, Martha cooking the meal was not bad, in and of itself. But it was bad when she made cooking the meal a higher priority than spending time with Jesus.

Charles Swindoll, in his book, “Living on the Ragged Edge,” tells about a time in his life when he was all stressed out, working on overdrive, and his family suffered as a result. One day, his little daughter came running up to him and said, “Daddy, I have a problem I want to tell you about, and I’ll tell it to you really, really fast.” Chuck Swindoll bent over and told his daughter, “You don’t have to tell it to me really, really fast. You can slow down.” His daughter’s response stunned him. She said, “OK, daddy, but only if you promise to listen really, really slow!”

Second, the story of Martha and Mary needs to be read in the context of discipleship. Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, to the cross, and he was inviting people to follow him, to become his disciples. But what is a disciple? Someone who imitates Jesus by loving God and loving others. And so, let’s look at two more important words related to discipleship: HOSPITALITY (or love) and EQUALITY.

First, HOSPITALITY. Real hospitality, real love means tending to the needs of another and putting their needs ahead of our needs. Martha wasn’t doing that. She was snipping and, in her mind at least, criticizing and judging her sister, Mary. In our society, the same thing tends to happen – and much too often, we Christians follow the world, not the Lord. Think of the immigration debate and the mean-spirited laws some cities and states are passing against undocumented immigrants. But we must remember: We are all God’s children, we are all brothers and sisters. As Christians, Jesus does not give us an option. He gives us a command: “Love one another.”

That leads to the second word: EQUALITY. In Jesus’ world, women and children were considered as second-class citizens. Women were expected to wait on the men. That’s what Martha was doing. But Mary was at Jesus’ feet, acting as a disciple and a follower of Jesus. Women weren’t supposed to do that in those days, just men. But Jesus commends Mary. The “better way” is being a disciple of Jesus, and that is open to everyone. Jesus tears down the walls of racism, sexism and every other –ism.

Often, our world and our love is too small. In fact, it’s not really genuine love at all. We love our spouses and our kids, maybe other members of our family, but that’s the extent of it. God wants us to reach out further, to love the world.

Last week, I read two stories – one sad, one with a happy ending. The sad story was in a newspaper a while back, from New York: “Police responding to burst water pipes in a Hampton Bays home found the mummified body of the owner – dead for more than a year – sitting in a chair in front of the television. The television was still on. He appeared to have died of natural causes.” How sad that people die alone and lonely, with no one to care for them or even to check to see if they are doing OK. Last week, I heard a preacher talk jokingly about how the automatic garage door opener was the greatest enemy today to love of neighbor – because we get in our cars while still in the garage, push the button, raise the garage door, leave the house, return home the same way, and never have to go outside to see our neighbors.

The second story was a happy one, about a 18-second TV segment by Diane Sawyer on “Sixty Minutes.” She was in Mali, Africa, showing scenes of children starving. One little boy, Muhammad, 11, was shown hungry but smiling. And in Indianapolis, Indiana, a woman named Cheryl Carter-Schotts saw the show and said to herself, “He’s my responsibility.” Fighting tons of government bureaucracy and red tape, she and her husband tracked down the boy and convinced U.S. immigration officials to allow him into the country, where they adopted him. A few months later, an Indianapolis TV station interviewed Muhammad, who mentioned that he had another friend, still in Mali, starving; and a woman in Bloomington, Indiana, heard the story on TV and said, “He’s my responsibility,” and did the same thing, and was able to rescue another child from starvation. Muhammad eventually graduated from Georgetown University.

Cheryl Carter-Schotts and her husband could have used their money to buy a new house, a new car, fancy clothes – but instead, they chose to rescue and adopt a starving child in Africa. Which decision, do you think, brought them deeper and more abiding happiness and joy? A new TV, a new car – or watching Muhammad grow up and graduate from Georgetown?

The Martha and Mary story is not an either/or – it is a both/and. We are called to be people who pray, who listen to God; and we are also called to be a people who reach out in love to serve and help others, who put flesh on our faith through real action. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says in the Old Testament, There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, New Living Translation)

Read with me this next verse, from the Letter to the Hebrews: Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! (Hebrews 13:1-2, Message Bible)

How do we do that? How do we show love and, perhaps, entertain angels unexpectedly? On the back of your handout are some ideas and suggestions. First, it says that we are to practice hospitality and love – where? Let’s read this list together: At home with my spouse and children; toward my neighbors; in the parking lot and on the roadways; in the church pews and in my church community; toward elderly parents or neighbors; at work or school; in the world, like Cheryll Carter-Schotts and her husband who adopted Muhammad from Africa. In other words, EVERYWHERE that God gives us an opportunity.

How? Let’s keep read: Pray for others; toss out words of encouragement; offer to help someone; take your kids out for a movie or pizza or ice cream; invite your husband or wife on a “date;” invite the neighbors over for a barbeque; mentor a kid or coach a team; give a ride to a neighbor without a car… to church, to the store; volunteer.

There are so many ways to love and serve and show hospitality – big ways and small ways. Wednesday night, I was over at Coachella Valley Cemetery in the evening, preparing to lead a rosary, when an elderly man fell into a bed of roses and could not get up. The thorns cut into his arm and he was bleeding profusely. Another young man who was with me and saw it all happen ran to the man’s rescue, and together, we were able to lift him out of the bed or roses.

Thursday, I visited one of our parishioners at JFK Hospital in Indio and found that her small faith community was just leaving but had already been there, en masse, to visit her, cheer her up, pray with her. They were enfleshing their faith.

Not too long ago, I heard about a guy in line, buying groceries. A guy in front had just finished writing a check to pay for his purchases, then realized that he had forgotten to buy ice – and he didn’t have another check or any cash on him to pay for it! The first guy, in line behind him, simply said, “Put the ice on my tab.” No big deal. Simple hospitality. Love.

That’s what the Christian life is about – reaching out to help one another, to show love and kindness and hospitality. Do you want the abundant life that Jesus promises? Learn to give, learn to be generous. Loving others will expand your world in marvelous ways! “Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it — it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (Luke 10:42, Message Bible)

Don’t miss the “main course” because of the noise. Focus on God’s priorities in your life. Spread love all around. Remember that we are all God’s children – young and old, male and female, Hispanic and black and white and Asian and native American. Embrace God’s better way!