What does Jesus hunger from each of us?

The Gospel passage proclaimed at Mass on the weekend of July 17 was the well-known story of Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary. In my experience, this story often elicits strong emotional reactions from a number of its listeners. Sometimes people will comment that Jesus did not thank Martha for her efforts. They will say that everyone should have felt fortunate Martha was present, otherwise no one would have had anything to eat. 
The fact is there are many of us who identify with Martha and do not like the fact that the Lord chastised her. After all, why not praise the person who is making sure everyone is going to get a good meal? Why criticize the person who is caring for others?
But there is another way to understand this story. The truth is that Martha was giving Jesus what she wanted to give rather than allowing Jesus to give her what He wanted to give her. Mary understood that the Lord was there to speak with them. Martha did not.
As a facetious example, suppose Jesus came to our house to speak with us. Would our reaction be, “Please sit down Lord. You are going to love my chicken and dumplings. Just make yourself comfortable while I cook it.” Or perhaps, “Lord, I have some great deer sausage. You relax while I put some on the grill.”
I would hope not. If Jesus came to our house to talk with us I would hope we, like Mary, would sit down and listen to what He wanted to say to us. It would not be a time to give Him what we wanted to give, but to receive from Him what He wanted to give us.
Jesus wants to speak to us. If only we would understand that. He loves us so much that He wants to enter our lives, our hearts and spend time there.
Sometimes I am awed by a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or impressed by majestic mountains, or captivated by a brilliant rainbow. But God is not awed by sunrises, sunsets, mountains or rainbows. However, when God looks at us, God is awed. Why? Because when God looks at us, He sees Himself. 
As scripture says, we are created in the image and likeness of God. When God looks at us He sees Himself, and God, who is perfect and infinite love, cannot stop loving Himself. Therefore, God cannot stop loving us. If only we could realize how brightly we shine in the eyes of God.
In all our joys and sorrows, successes and failures, struggles and contentments, God is with us. He cannot stop being with us since He cannot stop loving us. Love wants to be returned. Jesus did not hunger for whatever was in Martha’s kitchen. He hungered for Martha’s faith and for her to listen to His message to her. He wanted to be welcomed, not only into her home, but also into her heart.
That is what Jesus hungers from each one of us. It is for us to welcome the Lord into our lives, for us to spend time with the Lord at Mass and receive the Eucharist. What more could Jesus have done to tell us that He wants to be joined to us than to allow us to receive His Real Presence into our very lives? He wishes for us to spend time with Him in prayer and the reading of the Bible. Even if finding a quiet time may be difficult in our noisy lives, we can take a few seconds at various times during the day and say a short prayer to thank God for His love and ask Him to be with us in all we do throughout the day. His heart hungers for ours.