Often in mission life the missionary encounters a particular family that accepts the faith wholeheartedly, and this family, this household, becomes the center of the faith for the town or broader community.
New Testament
We see this in Paul’s second missionary journey when he and his band arrive in Philippi. A woman named Lydia accepts the faith. Luke writes: “After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation: ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,’ and she prevailed on us.” (Acts 16).
We also see it in the Gospel, when the Lord sends out the 72 disciples. When they arrive at a town, they are to stay in one house, eating and drinking what is offered to them while they are in that area (Lk 10, as we heard last week).
In the Gospels of Luke and John, we learn that the household of Mary, Martha and Lazarus constituted such a center of faith for Jesus and his apostles. Today we hear how Jesus is instructing a number of people in their home.
Siberia
I experienced something similar to this while serving as a seminarian in a village in Siberia. We were working among ethnic Germans who had been exiled to this region of Siberia during World War II by Stalin. For almost 50 years they kept the faith alive by meeting in prayer. Finally, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a priest from Berlin came to the region along with members of a German-speaking religious community.
We would celebrate Mass and give catechetical instruction in eight different villages every week or, in some cases, every other week. In one village there was an old church that we used, but in all the others we met at the house of a Catholic family. For the Mass we would set the altar in the biggest room of the house, and the people would cram into all the other rooms of the house to attend.
Of course when the weather was nice we would hold the Mass outside. It was inspiring for me to see these old people who had been deprived of Mass for 50 years kneeling in the grass and dirt, reciting ‘my Lord and my God’ three times at the elevation of the host, then three times more at the elevation of the chalice.
In Siberia the older generation was very faithful. They would bring their grandchildren, who would receive catechism from the religious sisters who had learned Russian. These grandchildren then would receive First Communion and confirmation in the Spring. Little by little the middle generation would also start practicing the faith.
Martha and Mary
When Jesus instructs people, of course, he instructs everyone. In today’s reading Jesus must have been explaining truths about faith and the spiritual life to the people. Yet Martha receives instruction in a different way. When she complains about her sister, Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the better part. Certainly Martha would then have considered these words of Jesus and grown in the spiritual life because of them.
Today we are fortunate to have churches. I remember the rejoicing in one of our villages when a crew of nine Germans came hauling parts for a church and built one in five days. The people were exultant that, after so many decades of praying in houses, they had a church of their own.
Even when we have churches, though, we need to be people who form an important part in the lives of our parishes and our communities. We might not be the primary family of faith in a small village, but we can inspire those around us by our faith and example.
in this day and age where people call themselves enlighten and evolved, many of are so called leaders in the Catholic Faith are now denying us the Latin Rite Mass and Mass at all without a vaccine card. sadly it is like living in a communist country or in Roman times were the big bosses show their loyalty to Caesar and spit in the face of GOD. I keep thinking all will be well for GOD wins in the end and the demons of hell go back to the pit with the fools that follow him and I now know how the Catholics in England felt when their religion was denied them for 100 years by Henry’s new version of the Church with the elites as the head. they had to use ways to teach their children the faith by the 12 days of Christmas, hid their priest and have Mass in out of the way places. I know the whatever the times tell us to do, the smaller and smaller circle of faithful to Chris alone win but some many others are lost in the wilderness. Thank you for coming home to His Church.
Dear Sue,
I, too, love attending The Latin Mass. I recently attended a retreat given by a FSSP priest. The beauty, tradition, music, and sacredness took my breath away and left me with hot tears streaming down my face.
You are right, that we know how this story ends. Love conquers all. I will continue to pray for those who are lost. That they will come home and have hope. God bless you.