A Message from Fr. Jay
Dear Friends,
I feel blessed to have been born in India during a time when it was so underdeveloped. As a child, I would stay at my aunt and uncle’s house during the summer, where we had to walk 4 miles to the nearest bus station. Only a few houses had electricity, while the vast majority of almost 200+ families used lamps with vegetable oil or lamps like ‘the hurricane lamp’ that used kerosene. The whole village went to bed around 7pm and got up early in the morning for prayers and Mass at Church at 5:15am. There were many far reaching villages beyond my native village. During the day, we would see many people walking with their luggage through our village towards their homes in the distance. Many homes allowed passersby the use of their front patio (‘muttram’). It was an elevated place somewhat like a bed. This is where passersby could nap or rest. In so called ‘developed India’, there are no muttram left. Now, each house has a wall around it so no one can stop to rest. Unfortunately, no one cares for anyone anymore!
Hospitality is a culture. It involves food and conversation. Martha attended to the food while Mary conversed with Jesus. Food needs to be eaten (with others) and people must speak! Jesus was in deep distress mode before entering into Jerusalem and therefore he needed consolation, and Mary gave that consolation just by sitting near to Him and listening to His words. The sensitivity of considering the needs of others is the basic quality of hospitality. Our society is becoming more and more gadget dependent. Artificial Intelligence is scary. People zip their mouth and open it only to eat or to yell at others. Whereas, coming together and chatting or listening to each other is rare. People who are dependent on gadgets eventually become dependent on medication. Mental health is being badly affected. Jesus wants us to interact, consider, care and share. Let us bring out the essence of Martha and Mary from us! When at home, let our children learn to do the jobs of Martha and Mary!
God Bless,
Fr. Jay Raju
Reading 1: Genesis 18:1-10
Reading 2: Colossians 1:24-28
Gospel: Luke 10:38-42
