By Richard Clifford, S.J.

Two aunts in my family asked me not to use this Gospel about Martha and Mary for their funeral readings. They are not alone, for many people are surprised at what seems to them Jesus’s lack of appreciation for women’s contributions to their families. This interpretation cannot be correct, however, especially in Luke’s Gospel, where women often assume executive roles. Rather, the story is about hospitality.

Martha has the dominant role as she welcomes Jesus; Mary is simply introduced as her sister, sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him. Her sitting, in contrast to her sister’s busy serving, does not indicate she is unimportant in the story. Martha, exasperated by her seemingly passive sister, asks Jesus to tell Mary to assist her in serving. Jesus’s answer to Mary, usually translated, “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her,” is imprecise. His words should be translated in the context of Middle Eastern hospitality, that is, a multitude of dishes requiring much labor. In this context, Jesus says to Martha: “There is need of only one course. Mary has chosen the better portion [of food].” In other words, Mary has chosen (she’s active, not passive) only one dish — hearing Jesus’s words. Jesus does not want, or expect, the busyness required for many dishes.

What is important is hospitality, Jesus giving himself fully to two dear friends, and they reciprocating with loving and undivided attention. “The implication is that Martha should be content with preparing the one dish that ordinary hospitality requires and join Mary in her deeper hospitality. In this way, she will experience what her sister is experiencing: their visitor’s welcome into the hospitality of God.” [Byrne, The Hospitality of God, p. 117]

The first reading, from Genesis, defines true hospitality perhaps better than any passage in the Old Testament. For the venerable patriarch Abraham to cast aside dignity and run is the height of eager hospitality. It takes Abraham a while to learn who these visitors actually are, but their abrupt appearance at his tent in the heat of the day, when almost no one travels, tells him they are of supernatural importance. He spends the next hours in an exalted state, gradually becoming aware that his revered Lord has come into his home.

Before we conclude that the readings exhort us to offer hospitality to God, however, let us recognize that before all else, God first offers hospitality to us.

Richard Clifford, S.J., has taught biblical studies for 55 years, most recently at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College, and has written many scholarly and popular books and articles.