April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
REFLECTION
Martha and Mary: a summer Gospel
Many of us can readily identify with the encounter as it unfolds. It is such an ordinary, homey event. What could be more natural or human than going to visit a friend or family member?
Then there is that domestic tension of a spat between the two sisters: Mary seems to sit around while Martha is doing all the work. Martha even turns to Jesus and complains (or is it nags?), "Tell her to help me!" Incidentally, we are not told anything about their brother, Lazarus. Perhaps he wisely kept out of things!
Whatever the case, Jesus uses this mini-domestic drama to teach and encourage.
Look at the dynamic again. Martha, the one doing all the serving and the work, is not wrong. Far from it! If we had a visitor, especially an important one, who would not offer some refreshments and hospitality?
In fact, in the time and culture of Jesus - as is still the case in the Middle East and many other parts of the world -- not to offer such a welcome to a traveler or a visitor would be unthinkable. It would go against all social customs and would be considered a gross insult.
So, why does Jesus seem to chide Martha, at least a little? As Jesus speaks to her, I imagine Him smiling lovingly at Martha, and also shaking His head a little!
Martha seems to be a natural worrier. Her latest worry is to make Jesus welcome. She also seems to have a bit of a short fuse, as she complains about her sister -- but, then, worry does have a habit of shortening fuses very effectively.
The same is true when we get overwhelmed with activity. Martha, we are told, is "burdened" by all her work to be hospitable. In fact, the phrase in the Gospel literally says that she was "pulled about" by her work. That certainly can sound familiar!
Jesus gently tells Martha that, in the end, only one thing really matters. Perhaps our Lord is reminding her (and us) to keep things in perspective and in balance. Worry or over-activity have a nasty habit of blowing many things way out of proportion and numbing our ability to focus, even disabling our better judgment.
Perhaps, too, Martha's mistake is to think that she knows what Jesus wants: food and drink after His journey. However, Jesus really wants to visit with her, to be spiritual food for her and quench her spiritual thirst.
Have you ever gone to visit people just to see them, yet they have rushed off into the kitchen to fix some refreshments for you? Meanwhile, you're yelling from the family room, trying to have a conversation with them. Your hosts are being kind and hospitable, but you have come to see them, rather than to have something to eat or drink. They think they know what you want, but that's not really the case.
Mary chose the better part (literally the "good" portion, as in the sense of something intrinsically good or as a solid foundation), because she sits at Jesus' feet and listens to Him. Jesus can visit with her and she can visit with Him.
It is not right to say that Mary chose the only good thing and that Martha was wrong or chose a bad portion. No, Mary chose the better part because she listens and is still and focused first. Only then is she equipped to spring into action, to be like her sister, Martha.
Prayer leads us and guides us to action. This might be the best lesson of all from our Gospel. It is also a timely one. Hopefully, summer is a time when we can be more like Mary and relearn the need to pause, listen and reflect in the Lord's good company, before we act and get busy.
So, we need to be like Mary, as well as Martha. Martha was so busy with things that she did not have time to listen to Jesus or discover what He really wanted of her, whereas Mary sat at the Lord's feet and listened to Him.
Often, we, too, need to slow down and listen to the Lord, to sit at His feet for a while -- even if it is just for five minutes a day! We may feel too busy to pray, but it's worth remembering what Blessed Teresa of Kolkata said: "If I am really busy, then I need to pray twice as hard and long."
A final word about parish meetings: Hopefully, we have a real "Mary moment" or two before diving into the Martha mode. We may have it the wrong way around if we put aside the Lord of all things for the sake of the things of the Lord!
(Father Barratt is pastor of St. Ambrose parish in Latham. He holds a doctorate in theology and was a professor at St. John's Seminary in England before coming to the U.S. in 2004. Read his previous columns at www.evangelist.org.)[[In-content Ad]]
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