WHAT KEEPS YOU BUSY?

16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gn 18: 1- 10 / Ps 15 / Col 1: 24 – 28 / Lk 10: 38 – 42

What keeps you busy? There are many reasons why people are busy today. For example, parents are busy working in order to provide for the family. Students who are here – I hope -- are also genuinely busy with their studies and not with their barkada or ka-fling-fling. For those who are facially challenged, they have always been busy looking for solutions to their eternal facial problem. How about you, what keeps you busy?

Our story this Sunday is a continuation of our Gospel reading last Sunday. But this time Jesus visited the house of his friends, Martha and Mary. As always, when we read this particular text, we usually give our applause to Mary for she found favor with the Lord, and give our boos to Martha for being busy in the kitchen.

However, my dear friends, if we try to analyze once again the story, we realize that the problem of Martha is not about being busy herself in providing hospitality. In fact, Jesus commends this kind of service like what the Good Samaritan did to the dying man in our Gospel last Sunday.

The problem with Martha, however, lies in her being “burdened with much serving.” Her busyness made her unhospitable - Martha embarrassed her sister Mary and asked her guest to intervene a family dispute when she said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to the serving? Tell her to help me.” Martha’s busyness did not only make her unhospitable but it also prevented her from being 100% attentive to Jesus’ presence.

My dear friends, the story of Martha is also our own story today. I know that our busyness stems from our desire to give our loved ones, our families a better comfort. Indeed, service for the family is something commendable. We have to be busy because an idle time is a work of the devil. Laziness, if you remember, is a deadly sin.

However, if we become “burdened with much serving,” then, we become so focused with what we are doing to the point of failing to recognize the presence of Jesus in our midst.

My dear friends, if during the last presidential debate, the then mayor of Davao, asked drug personalities to stop, to seriously stop, Jesus in our Gospel today also challenges us to stop. This is the purpose of our Sunday Eucharist – to remind us that amidst our busy schedule during the week, we must pause. We must stop and gather together around the altar recognizing the presence of Jesus in our midst. And by doing so, Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist becomes a present, a gift which we can share with our families as we go back home.  

As we busy ourselves to survive in this challenging world, may we never forget to be attentive with things that can truly give us joy, that which can truly give us peace, that which can truly bring us to heaven. May we never forget to be attentive to the presence of Jesus in our lives.

Again, what keeps you busy?

So many things can keep us busy today. And God himself is also busy right now. He is busy taking care of us, providing us with our needs. He is busy forgiving our sins and extending his patience towards us.

Before the day ends, let us never forget that we must give time to be attentive to God. Amen.