Of Mary, Martha, and Coca-Cola

At the end of her life, when my mom was living in an independent living facility, she gave canned cokes to the workers when she especially liked someone. Mom thought of it as a “thank you.” The
residents were not supposed to offer tip money to those who worked in the building, but Mom didn’t think of the cokes as tips. Instead, they were a meaningful way for her to share something she loved with others. I think about Mom when I think about hospitality, something I believe our world needs much more of. I also remember the biblical sisters Mary and Martha (Luke ch. 10 and 12 and John ch. 11). I know that Mom fits somewhere into their story of hospitality!

Mom knew she was dependent on others to do many things for her and she was at a loss of how to thank people when she couldn’t “pay” them in some way. I think Mary’s attitude was not much different from Mom’s. Instead of trying to give back to her guest, Jesus, in some form of tangible way,
Mary listened, knowing that Jesus had much more to offer her than she could ever offer him. She gave him the gift of her listening heart. She had time for Jesus, she didn’t have to prove her devotion, and she served him by opening a space in which she (and by extension all who read this story) could clearly hear the word of God, asking us to listen, deeply listen to the Holy and then act on it.

Martha was engaging in the more traditional role of providing hospitality—it was an honored responsibility, deeply revered in the biblical world, to provide food and drink to the visitors. Although scripture clearly says that Mary “has chosen the better part” or “the one thing necessary,” Martha was also about the holy work of hospitality. She embodied the the typical understanding of hospitality that Abraham and Sarah also demonstrate in Genesis I believe this story asks us to see these two aspects of hospitality and then it invites us to find our way of embodying this ancient tradition. Of the infinite ways to express hospitality to others, we have to discern our own according to our gifts, predilections, and callings. The word “hospitality” may conjure images of coziness, bland conversations, or seemingly frivolous afternoon parties, but hospitality is a serious spiritual discipline.

Today’s Old and New Testament stories remind us that welcoming strangers into our midst is a responsibility that we share. Henri Nouwen writes that “when hostility is converted into hospitality then fearful strangers can become guests revealing to their host the promises they are carrying with them [eventually] bringing new life to one another” (Reaching Out, 67).

Hospitality may look like a meaningless social occasion unless we see how much the gift changes both the gift and the giver. I think my mom was demonstrating deep hospitality when she offered cokes to those who helped her. She offered an invitation to visit, over a coke. She joined together Mary and Martha’s desire to listen and learn, feed and sustain, in one way that seemed possible for her—through a six-ounce can of cola. May we all find ways to offer and receive hospitality as we travel through our days, holding hands with the One who brought us together in
the very first place.

~Dr. Robbie Pinter, Supervision Facilitator and Mentor