Here and Now with Francis 7/18/16 (Christ, hospitality, welcome, listening, presence)

By Anonymous

We shouldn’t forget as well that in the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus — before being Lord and Teacher — is pilgrim and guest.
To welcome him, many things aren’t necessary; rather, just one thing is necessary: to listen to him, the word, to listen to him, show him a fraternal attitude, such that he feels that he is among family, and not in some temporary stopping-place.

From the Angelus
In busying herself and doing things, Martha runs the risk of forgetting — and this is the problem — the presence of her guest, which in this case is Jesus. She forgets the presence of her guest.... A guest doesn’t need to be merely served, fed, and cared for in every way. Above all it is necessary that he is listened to — recall well this word — to listen. That the guest might be welcomed as a person, with his history, his heart rich in sentiments and thoughts, so that he might feel truly that he is among family. But if you welcome a guest in your house and you continue doing things, and you have him sit down and be quiet, you quiet him, as if he were a rock — the guest made of rock. No.... Hospitality, which is one of the works of mercy, is seen truly as a human and Christian virtue, a virtue that in today’s world, runs the risk of being left aside. In fact, there’s a growing number of guest houses and accommodations, but in these places, a true hospitality isn’t always lived out.... Today we are so busy and in such a hurry, with so many problems, some of which are unimportant, that we lack the capacity to listen. We are constantly busy and thus we don’t have time to listen. [full text]

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