Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Today's Mass Readings

We Benedictines add Lazarus to the names of his sisters Mary and Martha and recognize them all as Hosts of the Lord. This seems to be a place where Jesus could rest and be at ease. This is the household that offered hospitality to the Lord as he made his way, bringing his message and healing the sick he encountered. Mary would sit at his feet and listen to his words, and Martha would go about preparing food to refresh him. And Lazarus, we know from other parts of the Gospel, it was his death that caused Jesus to weep. He must have felt at home in their house, and they were always ready to welcome him. 

To monastic communities, hospitality is an important element of life. While other communities, mendicants they are called, would go about preaching the Gospel, monasteries are “homes” where pilgrims and anyone in need could find a place of peace and refreshment. In my job as abbey porter, I often receive calls from those wondering if we have a place to stay for a few hours or days, and I refer such callers to the guest department, who knows of our available accommodations. It is rare that someone is turned away.

Our country has also been a place where migrants could find a new home, a safe home to live in and prosper. All my grandparents came at the turn of the last century amid the difficulties posed by travel and uncertainty about what the new world would offer. They knew Ellis Island and made their way to the heart of America. They worked the land as farmers and provided hope for their families and all who would come after them. Hospitality was here for them, and they, in turn, could provide it for others , responding to the cry of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” America seems to be less welcoming these days. And I wonder what gifts we deprive ourselves of by turning so many away. Perhaps we will never know. 

 Reflection by Fr. Martin DeMeulenaere, OSB