Freely Given, Fully Received

More than half of my trips to Dandora have happened during my birthday. And that means cake. It’s always humbling and a little awkward. In a neighborhood where many families live on less than $70 a month, a $30 cake is a luxury. That same amount could cover nearly two weeks of tuition for one of the students we visit. And yet, they give it with such joy. Not because they have extra, but because I was there and that was reason enough.

This Sunday, Abraham welcomes three strangers and prepares a feast not out of abundance, but out of reverence for the moment. In the Gospel, Martha rushes to serve while Mary simply sits at Jesus’ feet. One is busy doing, the other is fully present. Both offer something of themselves.

The Eucharist is that kind of welcome. Not something we earn, but something we receive. That birthday cake in Dandora, costly as it was, reminds me of that. Not because of what it cost, it was about who was being welcomed. Take and eat. And when that kind of love nourishes us, we’re called to carry it outward—with presence, generosity, and room at the table for others.