Homily for parishioners from Maldon and Burnham at their Holy Spirit Weekend at the Sion Community on the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time
What would you do if God came to visit you?
Three mysterious figures visited Abraham under the Oak of Mamre. It wasn’t unusual, in those days, to have to welcome unexpected guests. After all, there was no telephone, no postal service – so when guests arrived, you stopped what you are doing, and welcomed them.
At least, Abraham did. For Sarah and the servants, the visit meant work. Someone had to kill the fatted calf, bake the loaves and prepare the meal. But Sarah too received a reward, for the mysterious guests prophesied that the barren woman who baked the bread would next year, herself, have a bun in the oven.
Who exactly was it, who visited Abraham? The passage opens by declaring that the Lord Himself visited Abraham. But the visit happens in the form of three men. Is this God flanked by two angels? Or is it God, hundreds of years before Jesus became incarnate, giving Abraham a hint that God is truly three persons sharing one nature?
The artist Rublev was inspired to write an icon of three angels visiting Abraham – but angels representing the three persons of the Trinity. Here is a modern re-creation following Rublev’s design. On the left, the angel with both hands on the thin staff of authority represents the Father. In the centre, the one representing Christ holds his hand in the symbol of the incarnation, two fingers showing that Christ is at the same time fully God and fully human. Both Christ and the Holy Spirit, at the right, look to the Father in whom they have their origin. Abraham’s house and the Oak of Mamre are visible in the background – but we are at the open side of the table, invited into fellowship with them, even to share a meal.
When Christ first visited the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary of Bethany, Mary, like Abraham, stopped to pay attention to her divine guest. Martha, like Sarah, busied herself with preparing a meal. If we only had today’s Gospel, we might be tempted to reach the conclusion that it’s more important to listen to Jesus than to serve him. But the truth is more subtle. Martha is chided not because of her busyness, but because she tried to call Mary away from spending time with Jesus. Was it wrong for Martha to serve? No – she was welcoming Jesus and in this way she honoured the presence of God. But we have different gifts, we respond to God in different ways, and that’s OK. Not everyone has to be like me, pray like me, or relate to God like me. Not every prayer book will suit me, because different people pray in different ways – and that’s OK too.
But remember, the Martha we meet today is Saint Martha. The next time we meet her in the Bible, her beloved Lazarus is dead – and has been laid in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus arrives to sympathise. Mary is too overcome with tears to welcome Jesus. It is Martha who makes the stunning declaration “I know my brother will rise again”. Not all Jews believed in life after death, but Martha’s faith is unshakeable – and as her reward, she witnesses a raising from death there and then! In her busyness, she was not too busy to catch sight of who Jesus truly is.
Each one of us is invited to welcome God into our lives. Indeed, we are invited to have not one relationship with God, but three, because God is three persons. On this weekend, we have been focussing on the Holy Spirit, who wants to live within us and be poured out through us. Catholic scholars sometimes wonder if it’s possible to receive “more” of the Holy Spirit when new gifts are released in us – or whether we are only experiencing the uncorking of something which was laid down within us in our baptism or confirmation. We don’t need to worry about the details; what matters is to give permission to the Holy Spirit: Use me! Flow through me! Transform the world!
We are invited into relationship with Jesus. We are adopted into God’s family, which makes Jesus our big brother. But as members of the Church, which is the bride of Christ, Jesus is our bridegroom. This is why every Mass is a “wedding banquet of the Lamb of God”, Jesus the bridegroom blesses us, the bride, with his body. Jesus the head reaffirms that each one of us is a cherished member of his body.
We are invited into relationship with God Our Father. Jesus taught us – and this would have been too daring for the Jews of his time – to address God as “Father in Heaven”. By telling parables like the prodigal Son, he helps us understand that our Father is not angry, but is full of mercy and compassion. Sometimes we need healing from poor experiences of earthly parents before we can joyfully respond to this.
What would you do if God came to visit you? Stop and listen? Bow down and worship? Prepare a meal? They are all good. Just don’t expect anyone else to relate to God in quite the same way that God relates to you.
We don’t have to wait for God to come to visit us. Heaven is only a prayer away, and we can visit God whenever we wish. Once we have known the touch of the Holy Spirit, we are free to ask for the prayer language of tongues to flow within us. We may sense God’s closeness as a tangible presence – or our prayer life may run across a dry spell, even one lasting for years – but what matters is that we place the Father, Son and Spirit at the centre of our lives. Some of us are contemplatives, called like Abraham and Mary to stop and listen. Others are called to holy action, like Sarah and Martha – but still with one ear on the Lord. If prayer is already part of your daily life, I pray that this weekend will help you take one step deeper. And if it isn’t – I encourage you to make a little time for God either first thing in the morning, or as soon as you get home from the duties of the day. God won’t insist, but remember – it was Mary who chose the better part, and you can, too.
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