The story of Martha and Mary in the gospel this weekend is both familiar and challenging. While the gospel of John recounts two stories involving the sisters Martha and Mary, only Luke tells of this incident. The event recorded here, as in our first reading, is about hospitality. It is Martha's home, and it is she who welcomes Jesus. Mary sits at his feet.
All who are present at the Eucharist as the people of God also share a formidable task. We who have been baptized are the ones God has chosen to be a royal priesthood. At the Eucharist, the task of the whole people is to be priestly. We give thanks to God and offer the perfect sacrifice, the body and blood of Christ, together as a community. There is a role for everyone and not one single role is to only be a spectator. It is not the presider alone who makes this offering – it is all of us. Consequently, attention to our duty is critical for a meaningful celebration of the Eucharist. The church asks us to act with reverence, for the Eucharist, for our role in it, and for the community. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the faithful “...should endeavor to make their role clear by their deep sense of reverence for God and their charity toward all who share with them in the celebration” (62).
Reverence and charity may take different forms. We arrive before Mass begins to prayerfully prepare. Entering the church, we greet those with whom we will celebrate this Mass. We sign ourselves with water that recalls our priestly mission as the baptized. We bow to the altar where our thanksgiving sacrifice will be made and/or genuflect to the tabernacle to show our reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. We move to the middle of the pew rather than sitting on the end and asking others to crawl over us when they arrive later. We sing songs. We make the responses. We listen to the word of God. We pray all the prayers, even those spoken by the presider by himself. We join the community in the prescribed postures, such as showing a slight bow of the head before receiving the Eucharist, not separating ourselves by adding our own private forms of reverence during a communal prayer. We share the Eucharist in faith.
At times our actions may threaten the task that we perform. When we needlessly deal with other matters or neglect the songs, the silences, and the prayers, we make it difficult for ourselves and for others to carry the reverence and charity needed for our communal prayer. Mass is not like watching a band perform music; it is like playing an instrument in the band. Sometimes you play with everyone else; sometimes you rest; sometimes you have a solo. But we all make music. It requires attention and teamwork.
To carry out our mission we practice reverence by showing hospitality for God and charity for one another. Since Holy Mass is desired to be a communal prayer, it begs that the entire community is participating, and so it is not reverent nor hospitable when any one member does not participate actively. If someone else’s idea of reverence conflicts with your, always practice charity. Remember it is not about each one of us, it’s about all of us. Charity, reverence, and hospitality help us fulfill our impressive task.
God Bless,
